Wagtail Shinobi
by ZuttoAragi
Summary: Naruto has just made genin and a lot of things happen quickly after that. He meets a Sekirei, ousts a traitor, gets involved in a continent wide battle royale and has to keep his own 'secrets' from prying eyes. It takes place in Narutoverse and doesn't really bash any characters, except a few, like senor crazy pants Minaka.
1. Meet Naruto Uzumaki!

Chapter I

**Hello, ZuttoAragi here with a brand new story. This has been mulling in my head for a while now. I've read several stories based on Naruto and Sekirei, but only a few take place in the Narutoverse, and the few that do are a little, loose to reality for my tastes. So I've decided to write my own. And yes I realize the Sekirei don't even apear in this chapter much but, I tried to cover the first episode of Naruto, and it took _alot_ more words than I expected. I had originally planned on 3,000 but it obviously went beyond that. I also tried to keep Sasuke and Sakura in tune with their canon personalities but not portray nearly as hatefully as seemingly everyone else does.**

**Now that the massive A/N is out of the way let's get to the story, don't forget to review and tell me what you think too.**

* * *

It was a warm and happy summer day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Around the village's local shinobi academy, parents stood with their children; congratulating them, praising them, or just carrying on merry conversation. This was the genin graduation exam, a test made to determine who would become ninja and who would join the backup fighters.

It was an all-around auspicious day, except for one blonde teenage boy with tanned skin, blue eyes, an orange track suit, and three whisker like marks on both of his cheeks.

He was sitting alone on a wooden swing attached to a tree. His eyes didn't display happiness or glee, but neither sadness nor rage; all could be seen was that he alone in this world. This boy was Naruto Uzumaki, his sadness wasn't the result of failing mind you, as he had passed with flying colors. His sadness was the result of loneliness. This sadness was two-fold.

First, he was alone; his celebrations at passing were solely his, for he had no parents to celebrate with. They had died when a monster attacked the village fifteen years ago. Also, most of the fellow students hated him, as a result of deterrence from their parents. The ones that didn't hate him either didn't care or were too scared of being punished for associating with him to pursue a friendship.

Second, most didn't even accept his success. Why you ask? He spent most of his academy years as the school's dead last, the loser. He barely coasted along with mediocre grades.

However, this state wasn't entirely his fault, nor was he entirely innocent. He was often given improper instructions, thrown out of class during important lessons for flimsy reasons, and most of his tests had genjutsus cast on them so he was forced to give incorrect answers.

But none of that stopped him from learning. He had a special sensei when he was younger, though few knew of this and even fewer knew who it was. This sensei taught him all of the basics of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, including a special jutsu that increased his learning speed to exponential rates.

In reality he was far more talented, more skilled, and more intelligent than the majority of his peers, only out classed by a select few. This fact was hidden however, because there were a select few friends he had that he wanted to protect; because there were those in the village who saw Naruto as little more than a monster or demon. They did everything in their power to hold him back, to hurt him, and even kill him. As a result, he had to keep himself low key, which meant keeping his talents and skills mostly hidden; because if it got out he was as skilled as he was, then his friendships with them would be discovered thus putting them in danger.

All of his guards disappeared, however, when graduation day rolled around. He aced the written exam, horrifying all but one instructor. His ninjutsu test was near flawless, surprising everyone, aside from one part of the test.

* * *

_Flashback..._

_Naruto sat in his seat with a small smirk staring at Mizuki, the assistant instructor; who currently had Naruto's written test in his hand, dumbfounded that the dead last had aced it. Looking at him, Mizuki's face contorted in rage at Naruto's smirk. The primary instructor, Iruka Umino and one of the few people Naruto trusted, had a proud smile._

_Naruto ignored the majority of the other students taking their ninjutsu tests. He paid attention to a few but ignored the rest. He stood up and walked down the aisle to the front when his name was called._

_"Alright Naruto, perform a Transformation Jutsu. Transform into the Hokage." Iruka said as he looked at Naruto in the eye and held back a sigh._

_Naruto nodded and did as he was instructed, his chosen form surprised most and confused Iruka. Iruka gulped lightly and cocked an eyebrow before continuing._

_"The Fourth Hokage huh? An…interesting choice, but well done" he said as he finished writing in his book. Naruto released the transformation grinning as Iruka continued speaking._

_"Okay next is the Substitution Jutsu, target whatever is in the room that you please," Iruka told him as Naruto panned around the room._

_His eyes landing on his target unaware he gave a devilish grin and performed the hand signs. He performed the jutsu with a puff of smoke, resulting in Mizuki tumbling out of the smoke and falling on his ass. This caused raucous laughter among the students, even Iruka himself had to force himself not laugh as his face twitched. Mizuki rubbed his sore backside then glared at Naruto in his chair._

_"Ahem, Naruto, go ahead and return to your…previous position." Iruka said as he cleared his throat._

_Naruto walked around the table receiving a shoulder bump from the irritated Mizuki, he was surprised however that Naruto didn't even budge, not even a bit. Naruto just gave him a tired look; after calming himself and the class down, he looked at Naruto and sighed._

_"Okay, up next is the Clone Jutsu, whenever you're ready." Iruka said._

_Naruto looked at Iruka then to Mizuki, who had a devious smirk while looking at him. Iruka cocked an eyebrow when the blonde raised his hand._

_"Iruka-sensei, because my chakra reserves are too big I can't do the Clone Jutsu, can I do something similar?" Naruto asked._

_Iruka looked at him puzzled and just nodded dumbly._

_Naruto grinned and then made a hand sign, extending his index and middle fingers but curling his ring and pinky, then crossed his hands with the middle of his fingers being the axis. Iruka gaped at him._

'Impossible, there's no way he could do that! It's the_-__'Iruka thought._

_"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto declared, puzzling everyone in the class, including Iruka this time. Suddenly four puffs of smoke appeared in the room. Naruto and his clones looked at the teachers chuckling, until someone interrupted._

_"Seriously loser, what's so special about them? They're just clones." Someone arrogantly said._

_Naruto and co. looked at the interloper, the local brooder and class star, Sasuke Uchiha. He wore a blue high-collared T-shirt with white shorts and white arm bands extending from his wrist to his elbow. He also had chin-length black hair that spiked in the back._

_"Hmph, what'd ya say jerk?!" Naruto bellowed, resulting in Sasuke's self-proclaimed 'biggest admirer' screaming at him._

_"Hey stupid! Don't insult Sasuke, he's way better than __you'll__ ever be!" someone screamed._

_Naruto's eyebrow just twitched as he squinted at Sakura Haruno before sighing. Then he looked to Iruka and grinned; unsure of his meaning at first, Iruka's eyes then widened somewhat in recognition as he nodded._

_One of Naruto's clones walked up to Sasuke and grinned a grin so wide its eyes closed, giving it a fox-like appearance._

_"What's this, trying to intimidate me with your-hey!" he yelled as the clone bumped his shoulder. "Hn, you'll regret that loser," he said before punching what he '__thought'__ was Naruto, until the clone burst into smoke. Sasuke looked at him in surprise before smirking again._

_"Hn, nice try loser, I can spot a substitution anywhere" Sasuke said_

_His smirk disappeared when he heard what Iruka said, "No Sasuke, it's an advanced form of the Clone Jutsu that splits the user's chakra into even chunks, creating solid clones."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened before narrowing in annoyance, giving out one last 'hn' before returning to his seat and staring out the window._

_"Well if it isn't obvious already, you pass the ninjutsu section of the exam perfectly" Iruka said with glee._

_Falshback End..._

* * *

Naruto sat in his swing chuckling as he looked at his black Leaf headband. His chuckling ended when he noticed a presence behind him. He turned and looked in surprise to see Sasuke standing behind him. He huffed and asked, "What do you want jerk?"

Sasuke glared at him until he seemed to swallow something fowl and asked, much to Naruto's surprise, "He loser, where'd you learn that jutsu?"

Naruto looked confused for a second before narrowing his eyes skeptically, and asked mockingly, "Why're you askin' me? You're the great Sasuke Uchiha, don't you know everything?"

"Yes he does stupid!" Sakura yelled before knocking him in the head. She then smirked and though, "_Cha! I totally defended Sasuke's honor!_"

Sasuke glared at her and then looked back to Naruto and said, "Answer me Naruto."

Naruto sighed, rubbed his head and then answered, "Look jer-ow! Damn that hurts!" he stopped, getting hit again.

"Grr, anyway _Sasuke_, I can't tell you who it was because it's a secret. But if you want, I could teach it to you" Naruto said. Both Sasuke and Sakura looked ready to strike until Sasuke clenched his fists and tried to calm down.

Seeing Sasuke next to her, Sakura became worried and said, "S-Sasuke, are you alright?" in a tone she hoped sounded worried when she really thought, "_Alright! Finally I can help Sasuke, clock Naruto and…and…CHA!_"

Sasuke then thought back to their match during the taijutsu test.

* * *

_Flashback..._

_All of the students stood outside the school, some excited, some worried, some not caring at all. Sasuke was part of the last group._

_Iruka called out the matches between different students. Sasuke decided to pay little attention, only noting the results. Shikamaru and Choji matched up to a draw, because neither wanted to fight much to Iruka's irritation. Sakura and Ino fought, yet again to a draw, as both knocked the other out of the ring. Next up was Kiba against Shino, with Kiba embarrassingly losing when Shino's bugs inundated him, again to Iruka's chagrin._

_Sasuke finally perked up when Iruka called the next match, "Sasuke Uchiha vs. Naruto Uzumaki!"_

_Sasuke smirked as he and the loser walked into the ring. Sasuke was internally taken aback but hid it well when he looked at Naruto's eyes. They weren't the eyes of some hyper-active idiot or moronic prankster. He saw the same eyes he remembered seeing in most chunin, someone who thought their opponent was worthless. Seeing this made his blood boil as the visage of his brother appeared in his mind._

_"Hn, what's with that look, loser?" Sasuke asked hoping to irritate the blonde. Much to his surprise, Naruto didn't respond, just popped his neck and got into a taijutsu stance._

_"Riiiiggght, anyway, get ready to start!" Iruka called as pointed his hand in the air. He then chopped downward through the air and said, "Begin!" then jumped away from the fight._

_Everyone stood with anticipation as neither one moved. Sasuke stood with his face still confident and ready for a quick win, Naruto's, however, lacked any emotion, simply still as the surface of a lake._

_This stalemate lasted for several minutes until Sasuke became impatient and then lunged forward, "Fine. If you won't make the first move, I will!"_

_He rushed at Naruto and swung with a roundhouse kick, hoping to get a one hit knockout. He smirked seeing the blonde stand still, until he caught Sasuke's foot and just looked at him._

_Naruto then pulled back on Sasuke's foot and prepared to punch his face. Sasuke blocked the strike and cringed when the hit hurt more than he expected. '_What the hell!? The loser hasn't been this strong before, when did this happen? When did he get so damn good!?_' he yelled in his mind._

_Using the momentum from the strike, he twisted his body around and tried to strike Naruto from the top of the head, which Naruto effortlessly dodged and then came around with a roundhouse kick, by pivoting nearly three-hundred sixty degrees on one foot._

_Sasuke dodged by jumping back and then did the same move, his connected. He smirked at his small victory, but glared again when his target burst into smoke. He then thought, '_Where is he? Where'd he go!?_'__ he received his answer when Naruto suddenly appeared behind him, his first two fingers extended and glowing with chakra._

_Sasuke tried to turn and block but felt something akin to a hammer hit the back of his neck, followed by his body going numb as he slumped over, unable to move._

_The entire class plus the teachers gasped, the dead last just dominated the Rookie of the Year with little effort. Iruka looked at the group imitating a fish before shaking his head free of cobwebs and declaring ecstatically, "N-Naruto Uzumaki is the winner!"_

_Everyone gasped until one pink-haired girl screamed, "NO WAY! THERE'S NO WAY HE COULD BEAT SASUKE! HE CHEATED!"_

_Most of the other girls, except one, joined in her declaration of downplaying the blonde's victory. Naruto just glared back at them angrily, Sasuke sat on the ground trying to move; glaring at Naruto until he noticed the crowd's reaction._

_Flashback End..._

* * *

Sasuke let go of a heavy sigh and said, "Naruto, I don't like you."

"Tch, really well the feelings mutual bastard," Naruto said, finally having enough catching Sakura's fist.

"Would you stop hitting me dammit!" Naruto yelled.

"But," both teens then looked at Sasuke and blinked, "I need power. If you can give me power, I'm willing to let it go, a little."

Naruto looked genuinely amazed when Sakura yelled, "WHAAAT!? Did you really just say that Sasuke! Hey idiot!" she screamed, pointing to Naruto, "What'd you do to Sasuke!?"

Naruto found himself still amazed and unable to answer, finally blurting out, "Uh…ah…um, n…nothing."

Sasuke looked at him annoyed and then exhaled deeply, "Look loser, you're still a loser, but I want your power, so I'm asking you to teach it to me."

That snapped Naruto out of his daze as he glared at Sasuke, "Humph, just ask our sensei to teach you. I'm not interested."

Sakura seethed externally while Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes and trembled while boiling inside.

"Hey stupid! Sasuke just asked you to train him! You should feel honored!" Sakura screamed again.

"Why, because some stuck up jerk _demanded_ I give him my secrets? Not a chance in hell," Naruto said with finality, he stood up and walked away.

"HEY!" Sakura screamed before turning and chasing after Sasuke for dates.

Naruto looked back and sighed heavily, "Dammit. What made me think he would actually recognize my strength," he then looked at the sky and became contemplative, "And why do I even have a crush on _her_?"

"Hey Naruto," a voice spoke up behind Naruto, triggering his senses to turn around ready fight. He eased up slightly when he recognized who it was.

"Mizuki sensei. What do you need?" he asked, looking at the silver-haired chunin.

"Ya know Naruto, there is a way for you to get Sasuke's recognition, and Sakura's affection," he said with a silvery tone.

Outwardly, Naruto looked ecstatic, in his mind though, he thought, '_He's up to something. It might cause trouble, so it couldn't hurt to play along._' Naruto then looked at Mizuki with the biggest grin he could muster and yelled, "Ooh, ooh, what is it Mizuki sensei!? I _really_ wanna know, ya know!"

Mizuki put his hand behind his head and thought, '_I can't believe how dumb this brat is, guess those skills were just reflex. Figures.'_ "Well, it's a secret. You see…" he said, giving Naruto his orders.

* * *

Watching this exchange, a cloaked figure stood in the shadows of one of the buildings and looked on with concern and said, "This is getting bad, should keep my eye on him," the figure said with a sigh followed by nervously scratching at its chest.

* * *

Several hours later, Naruto was jumping through the forest with a large scroll on his back and a serious expression.

He then dropped down next to a small shack and said, "This is where he said to meet. I know I'm gonna get the drop on him, but it wouldn't hurt to learn a couple things from this scroll," he chuckled mischievously as he opened the large Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. The first thing he saw was the shadow clone.

"Well, next then. Ohhh Exploding Shadow Clone jutsu huh, that could be fun," he said as he started practicing the jutsu.

* * *

After about half an hour, Naruto felt a presence coming closer and pumped some chakra into his ears to hear the sound of someone tree hopping at a high speed from the west.

"Huh, Mizuki said he'd be coming from the south, gotta keep my guard up."

As soon as he finished speaking Iruka landed behind him.

"Woah, Iruka sensei, I didn't expect you to come here!" Naruto said with glee.

"Naruto, do you have any idea what you've done?" Iruka asked with seriousness, causing the blonde to flinch.

* * *

Several minutes later, Mizuki landed on a nearby branch to see Iruka standing over Naruto and scolding him. He sneered at the sight and cursed, "Damn, didn't think Iruka was that fast," he then chuckled with slight insanity and finished, "guess I'll just kill him too!"

* * *

With a heavy sigh, Iruka looked at Naruto and said, "Jeez Naruto, you're hopeless."

"Isn't that the truth!" someone said.

Both Naruto and Iruka looked up at Mizuki on a tree and gasped.

"Mizuki sensei! What took you so long!" he accused, pointing at the insane chunin.

"Sorry Naruto, I got held up, cuz' Iruka tried to stop me," he said, leering at the scarred chunin.

"What!? Mizuki, you're just making that up!" Iruka called, motioning angrily at him.

"Oh really, you were just doing the same thing as everyone else! Hey Naruto!" The blonde looked attentively, "Wanna know a secret!?"

Iruka paled and then proceeded to yell, "No Mizuki, don't!"

"You wanna know why everyone hates you? Why you're despised and seen as a monster!?" Mizuki said as Naruto's eyes got wide as he sat captivated.

"You know fifteen years ago when the Fourth 'killed' the Nine-tails? The truth is he didn't!" Mizuki yelled.

Naruto's face filled with despair as Iruka charged for Mizuki.

"Mizukiii! Shut! Up!" he then threw several kunai as Mizuki pulled out a Fuma shuriken and blocked them, then jumped over Iruka and landed near Naruto.

"The truth is," he paused, narrowing his eyes, then widening them as he said, "he sealed it! Inside of you!" Naruto's face became crestfallen as the realization appeared to hit him.

"That's right Naruto! You are the Nine-tailed Fox!"

"No Naruto ignore him!" Iruka yelled trying to save him from his depression.

Both chunin's became confused when Naruto started laughing.

"What's so funny? You finally lost it?!" Mizuki leered.

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose with a big grin and said, "That's it? That's your big plan to get the scroll? Mizuki sen-no, just Mizuki," he said standing, no longer exuding despair but confidence, causing both chunin to become confused.

"Your plan was to tell me something I already knew?" Naruto said

"What!?" the two yelled confused.

Naruto just gave confident 'hmph' and asked, "You really think I didn't know he was already in there?"

Mizuki glared at the blonde and spoke with disbelief, "How-how did you know?"

Naruto became much serious, though a smirk still present as he spoke, "My Sensei told me, I even met the fox. He's not that bad, he's just pissed."

"Tch, doesn't matter, TIME TO DIE!" Mizuki bellowed as he tossed the shuriken.

"NARUTO!" Iruka yelled as he dove in front of Naruto to protect him.

Naruto, who was now on his back on the ground with Iruka above him. "Ir-Iruka sensei! Why!?" Naruto yelled in disbelief.

"Because Naruto, you're my student, I can't let you get hurt because of me. I couldn't live with myself if I did, urgh," Iruka grunted in pain as the large shuriken dug into his back.

"Awww, isn't this sweet? You're commiserating with the demon brat. How sickening," Mizuki chortled as he pulled another shuriken.

"This just makes my job that much easier. All I need to do is kill you two and then take the Scroll to Lord Orochimaru." Mizuki said revealing his plan.

"O-Orochimaru!? Mizuki…I, I had no idea you would betray the village so gravely!" Iruka said in disbelief.

"Oh please. I'm nothing more than a lowly chunin here. But, if I go with Lord Orochimaru, he'll give me power beyond my wildest dreams! So of course I'm not gonna stay with some backwater village just because 'it's my home'," Mizuki said mockingly, he then shrunk back at the intense glare he was getting from Naruto.

"You bastard. Sensei sacrificed everything for this village!" Naruto yelled, surprising both chunins with his rage and conviction.

Naruto then dashed out from under Iruka and bolted for Mizuki, ready to strike, "I won't let you tarnish…his sacrifice!" he yelled as he slammed his foot down, trying to smash Mizuki.

Mizuki barely managed to dodge the strike, feeling the wind rush by with the kick and eyes wide when he saw the hole it left. '_Damn, how did this brat get so strong_,' he thought, preparing to fight, until something hit him, '_Wait, it couldn't be that…he's _always_ been this strong?_' Mizuki thought with growing horror.

His surprise would have to wait as Naruto came in with another punch from the left, trying to hit Mizuki's chest, only to feint and bring a knee to his gut, hard.

Mizuki coughed up blood as the blow struck him hard, he finally thought, '_Damn, so...the brat's been hiding his strength, huh?'_ His thoughts continued as his now limp body went over a gorge, '_Makes sense, can't believe this little shit's gonna be my end'_, "huh?" he finished out loud, feeling something grab his ankle. He yelled as his body swung downwards at an arc and slammed into the rock wall. Using the little strength he had left, he looked up in shock as he saw Naruto holding onto him. "What the hell brat!? Why're you saving me?!"

"Because, not only is it what sensei would've done, but you need to be punished," then he smirked and finished, "Plus, I don't want my first kill to be a Leaf shinobi, that wouldn't go over well." He then gave a big, bright smile that seemed to steal all of Mizuki's strength as he went limp.

"Whatever, just, if you're gonna pull me up, pull me up!" Mizuki said in panic.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on smartass," he grunted as he hoisted the silver-haired chunin.

* * *

Moments later, multiple shinobi arrived in the clearing to see Iruka injured, Mizuki tied up and Naruto standing triumphantly. Naturally, they all got ready to attack.

"Wait!" Iruka called weakly, getting their attention, "he didn't do this. Well, not to me at least."

One ninja walked forward, a lazy looking man with a face-mask, levitating silver hair, and his headband worn as an eyepatch. He looked at the group and asked in an equally lazy tone, "Then who did?"

"Jerkface over here," Naruto said, accentuating it by knocking Mizuki in the head, the latter trying to bite him in return, "he tried to trick me into giving him the Forbidden Scroll. I saw through it all though and the old man gave me the scroll to spring the trap," he finished confidently.

One of the other ninja simply scowled and said, "Likely story brat! Like we'd believe yo-" he was stopped by glares from both Iruka and the masked man.

Said man then sighed and said, "Well Iruka?"

Iruka just nodded weakly.

"I see. Well, good work Naruto," he said with a thumbs up, though no less energy than before. "Now, as for you," he said menacingly while walking over to Mizuki, "What you did is treason, and that's just stealing the scroll. Not to mention trying to kill not one, but _two_ Leaf shinobi. Anything to add?"

The chunin shivered under the man's gaze and just shook his head wildly.

The man gave an eye-smile and said, "Good, ANBU, take him," he made a hand motion as several masked shinobi in ANBU gear appeared and made off with the traitor. He sighed and then turned to Naruto and Iruka, "Why don't you two go home, it's been a long night and I bet you're tired."

"Hold up Kakashi!" one of the other shinobi said in anger and disbelief, "You're not really just letting the de-err brat go, are you?"

The now named Kakashi looked at the man seriously, releasing some killer intent and said, "He just saved the life of one of the academy instructors, stopped an attempted stealing of the Forbidden Scroll and not only fought, defeated, and bound a shinobi far above his rank, he also caught a traitor. Now, if it were you, wouldn't you be at least allowed to just go on your way?" he asked with a deceivingly sweet eye smile.

"But he's-"

"He's a shinobi of the Leaf, period. Now, off with you, everyone!" he commanded.

They all responded simultaneously, "Yes sir," and vanished.

* * *

Up in the trees, the cloaked figure stood wide-eyed having watched the whole exchange, astonished that a kid had that kind of skill. "This is going to be trouble. Hopefully he's not a problem later," it said before scratching its chest again and heading out

* * *

**And there goes the first chapter. I know it's long but it kinda had to be since I wanted to keep this contained to one chapter. The first episode events of Sekirei shouldn't take nearly as long so I should be able to keep it below three thousand words and have room to spare.**

**Well now that that's out of the way, that brings this to a close, don't forget to tell me what you think and any suggestions since I'm truly winging this one unlike Fullmetal Shinobi. Also, if anyone out there knows where I can find someone to help with romance plots, since I've never done and more than likely suck at it but hey won't know til I try right. There'll be a few changes to the overall story too, naturally. One example is that Seo doesn't exist since someone else'll be getting the Lightning Twins and it won't be Naruto. If anyone wants to guess who it is I might be able to come up with some kind of reward, like maybe choosing a Naruto girl that turns out to be Sekirei, hmm, that could work yeah. I'll PM on the unlikely chance someone does guess and get it right.**

**ALRIGHT, now that I seem to _finally_ have nothing left to say, see ya later.**


	2. What's a Sekirei?

Chapter II

**Holy crap! For a quick whim, this thing took off like a volcano. I did _not_ expect this kind of response. I'm overjoyed at the response I got, not only views, favorites, and follows, but most of all in reviews. Anyway here's the reviewer responses.**

**First to address some issues multiple people pointed out. First, alot, and I mean several people, specified some of the same Sekirei for Naruto. To clarify, Naruto will be getting most of Minato's Sekirei. The exceptions are Kusano, (maybe, haven't decided what to do with her yet) and Tsukiumi, since I have another Ashikabi in mind for her. Also, Naruto will be getting several other Sekirei as well. I won't reveal them yet but rest assured Naruto's getting more than Minato's flock, which even now has been cut down. ****Second, as for Naruto characters being Sekirei. I had originally thought about it but decided not to with the exception of my little challenge in case the winner picked someone to be one. Lastly, I had _never_ planned on Hinata being a Sekirei so no one needs to worry.**

**Okay, now for specific responses.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: I already sent the PM and it's not Jiraiya and defintely not Hiruzen. I have decided that a few from all three cardinal Ashikabi will go to Naruto, I'll get to that later though. Oh, the Ashikabi of the west is Sanada, the Japanese term for west funnily enough.**

**Haseo55: I didn't say any Naruto girls _would_ become Sekirei, only that that was the little reward for anyone who figured out who Hikari and Hibiki's new Ashikabi is, that being they get to choose one to be one. Or not if they don't want to. So don't worry, I'm not going to be turning every other character in Naruto into a Sekirei if that's what your worried about.**

**ncpfan: Really, huh I guess alot of the better fanfics I read do have longer chapters. As for your second question, he'll meet her in chapter three. That be a big help, I give a PM if I need some help.**

**TheLastNanaya: It will still be effectively the same. As for tech, the Naruto world has displayed a pretty good amount of tech. It would stand to reason M.B.I. would have technology even more advance than the Rain Village or Land of Snow thanks to the Sekirei's origins.**

**Like I said before, I only planned to have one Naruto girl as a Sekirei and that's only if the winner of my little challenge chose one. Also, I'm pretty much throwing realism out the front door since this is not only Naruto, but Sekirei combined which on their own slap realism in the face, and together they give a drop kick combined with a shotgun to the face.**

**There will be other Ashikabi, both characters from the show and even a few Naruto characters become Ashikabi. As for the last thing, dunno, he might.**

**Phew, that was a long one. Now that's finally out of the way, read the chapter, tell me what you think, and any suggestions you have for story, pairing, or anything else that pops into your head.**

* * *

Standing the Hokage's office, Naruto felt a little downcast as the old man stared steadfast at him, Iruka, and Kakashi. He then let out a tired sigh.

"Naruto, I'm glad I trusted you enough with the scroll, though I never would've believed that Mizuki had actually turned traitor," the old man said, taking a drag from his pipe.

"Well it's true Lord Hokage. If it hadn't been for Naruto, I'd probably be dead right now," Iruka said with a small smile on his face.

Hiruzen, the Hokage, smiled at this and looked at Naruto and said, "Listen Naruto, since you not only exposed, but defeated and captured a traitor I'm making this your first B-rank mission. So, here you are," Hiruzen said, handing a small envelope of money to an ecstatic Naruto.

Naruto jumped in the air several times cheering. With one final chuckle he looked at the old Hokage and yelled, "Thanks old man, I reall-oomph," he was cut off by Iruka slamming his palm on the blonde's head.

"Dammit Naruto, have some respect would ya?" Iruka chided the hyperactive blonde.

Hiruzen waved the chunin off and said, "It's quite alright Iruka, it's simply a term of endearment."

Iruka sighed and said with a small content smile, "You were always too soft on him Lord Hokage."

The old Hokage simply chuckled while Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Now Naruto, I have meeting to attend, so why don't you head home."

"You got it gramps!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran out the door.

Iruka just glared at the retreating boy as he spoke to the Hokage.

* * *

Naruto was merrily walking down the road humming to himself, much to the displeasure and some downright anger of the citizens.

Naruto stopped humming and smiling when he picked up some of the conversations.

"There's the demon brat."

"What's he so happy about?"

"He probably cursed someone."

"I heard he attacked several chunin."

Naruto had to resist the urge to yell at them but had long since learnt to suppress the feeling since it did little good.

So instead, he started talking to himself.

'_Hey, you in there?_' He asked his mind.

'**_Of course brat, what do you want?_'**his mind seemed to respond, in a deep bellowing tone laced with anger.

'_I just want to focus on something other than those fools_' Naruto said.

'**_Understandable, what're your plans with the money?_'**the voice in his mind replied back.

'_Dunno, can't really do much since most people won't sell to the 'demon brat'_.' Naruto said with disgust.

'**_It's amazing how anyone could mistake someone as pathetic as you for someone as great as me_,'** it said with pride.

'_Tooting your own horn a little there aren't you_?' Naruto said teasingly.

'**_I'm agreeing with you brat, be glad I don't just take over your body_,'** it replied with irritation coming off its voice.

'_Yeah, yeah I get it fuzzy_,' he thought while his eyes narrowed in annoyance outwardly.

'**_I already told you it's Kurama, not fuzzy Sage dammit!_'** the now the identified Kurama yelled from within Naruto's mind.

* * *

Naruto was brought from his internal discussion by a voice calling out to him.

"Watch out!" someone yelled from above.

Curious, Naruto looked up just in time to see someone land on him, pinning him to the ground as dust kicked up. Naruto, who was lying on his back groaned as the person on top of him coughed.

"Damn that hurt. Are you…o…kay…" Naruto trailed off as he saw the figure that landed on him.

A girl around his age with waist length brown hair tied into a ponytail just below her neck. She had her bangs in a hime cut with a single cowlick hanging off the top of her head like an antenna. Her face seemed to show a severe degree of immaturity but was so cute it should be illegal to be on a body like that.

'_Speaking of which_,' he thought, unconsciously trailing his eyes down her body. Her outfit consisted of a heavily modified miko outfit with a white top that had long bell like sleeves wrapped with a pink sash around her waist leading to a skirt that was barely even there. She also had brown boots that went up to the middle of her lower leg with long white stockings that went up to the middle of her thighs. Lastly she wore pink combat gloves.

What drew most of Naruto's attention however, was her rather large…assets.

Naruto's face became severely annoyed as Kurama was currently laughing his ass off.

"Umm, are you okay?" she asked, getting the blonde to immediately jump up and become extremely flustered as he starting spouting nonsense.

"Um, well, I mean, wait, err, aaahhhh DAMMIT!" he finally yelled. He then looked at the girl who had one finger on her chin and her head tilted to the side with a severely confused expression. '_By the Sage, damn she's cute. Wait, focus Naruto, focus. Facts, info, gather it,'_ he thought to himself and calmed down. He then looked the girl in the eyes and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

The girl seemed to perk up at the recognition and was about speak when she was interrupted.

"Hey bitch! Where the hell do you think you're going!?" Naruto and the mysterious girl looked up on top of a building to see two equally attractive women with varying busts, long green hair that splayed like the tail of a crow and very tight, very skimpy, S&M outfits.

Naruto just looked disgruntled and deadpanned, "Seriously, what the hell is going on recently, first I get attacked by a traitor, a pretty girl falls on me and now this. If sensei were here he'd probably be laughing his ass off. Well whatever!" he declared, grabbing the weird girl and said, "Look, I don't know what's going on but I _do_ know we need to go, now!" he said and ran off with the girl.

She blushed lightly at his heroism as the bondage twins chased after them and landed in front of the duo.

"Oh come on, the one time I wish the jerk was around and he's nowhere in sight." Naruto said.

* * *

Within the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was walking through the abandoned streets when he sneezed. He rubbed his nose and got a puzzled look, before shrugging and kept walking.

* * *

"Now what?" he said nervously as the girl he was holding on to started running, dragging Naruto with her flapping like a limp flag.

"Damn it not again. Hikari let's go," the one in purple ordered as her sister nodded.

* * *

After running for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, Naruto and the strange girl stopped and panted as Naruto finally wrenched his hand free and gave her an accusatory glare.

Seeing his expression, said girl melted under his gaze and gave scared puppy-dog eyes.

Naruto tried to continue glaring but his eyebrow and the edge of his lip twitched until he sighed and said, "Damn, why can't I ever resist those damn eyes? Whatever, hey crazy girl," he said bluntly.

Said girl gave a puzzled look and pointed at herself and cocked her head to the side.

'_So. Damn. Cute. Focus, Naruto, focus._' He sighed again and pointed at her, "Yes, you. Do you mind telling me what's going on and just who you are?"

She nodded ecstatically and said, "I'm No. 88 Musubi!" she said hopping on the balls of her feet, doing interesting things to her…assets, which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. "Um, mister are you alright?" she asked bending down to get a better look at his with a worried look and one finger pressed against her lips.

Naruto blushed and sweat dropped thinking, '_I must be dreaming, Kurama pinch me if I am_.'

'**_I'm in your mind remember I can't_,'** he responded in a bored tone.

'_Oh, yeah, good point._' He thought as he realized this fact.

"Wait, you said you were number 'eighty-eight', what's that mean?" Naruto asked.

"That's my number," she answered as though it were obvious.

Still with a blank expression Naruto asked, "Okay, I get that. But _why_ are you numbered?"

"I don't know, I just am. We all are." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm not." Naruto said with a deadpan expression.

"You're not a Sekirei." She replied.

"Oh, right, right. Wait, what's a Sekirei?" Naruto asked.

"Me." She said innocently.

Naruto's eyebrow gained a slight twitch, "Okay, but what _is_ a Sekirei?"

"You know, I'm not really sure. I just know there're one hundred and eight of us. We were released in the village and we need to find our Ashikabis."

His eyebrow now twitched a little more, "Okay, so what's that?"

"What's what?" She asked.

Now they both twitched, "What's an Ashikabi?"

"The one person all Sekirei are bonded to on the deepest emotional level. The one person we're all destined to find and protect so we live together forever," she said emphatically with her head down and her eyes closed and her hands cupped together against her chest.

Naruto just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Wow, finding this Ashikabi must be really important then."

"Yes, it's the most important thing to a Sekirei."

"I think I get it, probably don't but whatever," he pointed behind him with his thumb and asked, "So why were those two Lightning Style users after you?"

Musubi cocked her head to the side and scrunched her eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Lightning Style?"

Naruto's feverish twitch was back as he thought, '_Okay God, I know you're testing me here. Just thought I'd let you know, I'm only a C student._' He thought while sighing yet again.

"Yeah, the two women shooting lightning everywhere?" he said in exasperation.

"Oh, you mean the lightning elementals," Musubi said, plopping her fist into her palm in understanding.

Naruto simply scrunched his eyes and said, "Yeah whatever, look, it's really late and I'm busy tomorrow so, Musubi was it? How about we meet up tomorrow or, maybe never and I'll go home, bye," he waved as he walked off.

"Wait!" she called, causing him to stop and think, '_I am so gonna regret this._'

He turned around was taken aback at how her puppy-dog eyes seemed to have intensified, '_This, this is just too much!_' he thought to himself. Still trying to guard himself from his one weakness, besides ramen, he asked with trepidation, "Y-yeah?"

"I don't have anywhere to go…" she said pathetically with a finger up to her lips.

Naruto finally had enough and face palmed, releasing a massive sigh he didn't realize he was holding he said, "I'm going to _really_ regret this but, do you wanna stay at my place?" The folly of his decision was immediately apparent as her face lit up and she lunged at him like a rhino tackling him to the ground. With a sickening crack he was certain was his back, muttering 'thank you' over and over.

* * *

Finally back at his house, Naruto shut his door with another sigh and said, "Well, here we are. My humble abode," he said, dead tired physically, mentally, and emotionally. He looked at Musubi and started again seeing the dreamy look in her eyes.

"It's so wonderful, and clean!" she exclaimed.

"Aheheh, it's nothing really, sensei just beat cleanliness into me and boy did he," he finished with yet another sigh. "Anyway, the bed's over in the corner, why don't you take it while…I…Musubi? Musubi, are you alright?" he asked, worried how she looked almost sick.

Her face was flushed red from her hairline to her neck, her eyes were half lidded and she was breathing quite heavily. Suddenly, she fell to her knees.

"Musubi!" he cried going to her side as she looked at him and gave a weak smile.

"It's you," she said through heavy panting.

"Hah?" he asked.

"You, you're my, Ashikabi," she said, placing her hands on his cheeks and pulling him closer.

"Huh, huh?" he asked, his vocabulary down to a single sound. His mind immediately shut down at the next occurrence.

She pulled his face to hers and their lips met, and a deep passionate kiss, on Musubi's side at least, ensued.

Naruto was just confused, but quickly calmed down and fell into the role.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer, one on her head to support it. His eyes almost completely closed but snapped open when two things hit him.

First, she was absorbing a large amount of chakra from his body, enough that he would have been exhausted had he been a normal genin. The second thing he noticed, and the thing that truly caught his attention, were bright, glowing, large pink wings of light that sprouted from her back.

Finally the two came up for air and pulled apart, both coughing slightly at the lack of oxygen. Naruto then noticed another change; he could almost 'feel' the change in his mind as it seemed to alter, to shift and take a new shape. He could then hear Kurama speaking in his mind.

'**_Brat, the emotional part of her mind just connected with yours. I can feel calming and soothing emotions radiating from this new connection, it's sickening_.' **Kurama said in disgust.

'_You would say that_,' he thought with a content smile.

Feeling his contentedness along with her own, Musubi gave him a sweet smile and said, "I finally found you, my Ashikabi."

It was then that Naruto's brain just stopped working; his face became blank, as did his mind. He then proceed to scream, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?"

Outside, multiple light from multiple apartments flickered on. Soon enough, the landlady rushed up to Naruto's room and kicked open the door fuming.

He then looked at the scene before him. Naruto and Musubi collapsed on the floor, both beet red and covered sweat. The landlord gave fake twitching smile and then yelled, "GET! OUT!"

Naruto just hung his head and said, "Dammit."

"Alright brat, you've got enough time to gather up your shit and get out!"

* * *

Naruto was currently gathering up his possessions and putting them in storage scrolls. Musubi was standing nearby with a depressed and guilty expression. There was also a thick, tangible tension in the room.

Musubi, unaware, was the first to break it, "Naruto, I'm so sorry," she said with a deep bow.

"Sorry? For what?" Naruto asked as he quirked an eyebrow.

She looked at him quizzically, though still guilty and said, "Because I'm the reason why you got kicked out,"

Naruto sighed and then chuckled. Then he looked at Musubi and said, "Don't worry, it's not your fault in the least Musubi."

"But-" She was cut off when Naruto put up a hand to stop her.

Then he shook his head and said, "No, that cranky old bastard's been trying to find a reason to kick me out for years. The only reason he hasn't is because gramps would fry his ass."

"Gramps?" she asked in her quizzical posture.

Naruto tried and failed to keep a straight face, with an eyebrow twitching to boot. '_You're kidding me, how can anyone be that cute!?_' he yelled in his mind.

'**_I pity you brat_.'** Kurama said.

'_For once, we agree,_' Naruto replied.

"Um Naruto" Musubi try to ask.

Her words snapped him out of his stupor and he looked right at her said, "Yes?"

"I think you should know about us," she said with a little emphasis on 'us'.

"Us? You mean the Sekirei?" Naruto asked.

She was about to answer when Naruto's phone rang.

"A phone call, at two in the morning?" he said in disbelief. He picked up the phone and answered, only to pull away as the voice on the other line yelled.

"Hello Naruto!" an annoying voice said.

Naruto ignored the voice momentarily while cleaning out his ear with his pinky, then pulled it back and asked, "Why does everyone insist on yelling at me?"

"My apologies, I'll try and keep my excitement down," the other voice said while audibly bouncing like a four year old.

"Yeah sure," Naruto deadpanned, "Anyway, who the hell are you anyway?"

"So rude. Very well, I am Minaka Hiroto, the game master!" Minaka declared proudly.

Naruto stood still for several moments before he said, "What?"

Minaka immediately fell over then cleared his throat and asked, "Hasn't she told you yet?"

"She was about to when you interrupted."

Musubi looked confused and asked, "Naruto, who is that?"

Naruto put his hand on the phone's microphone and said, "Some crazy guy named Minaka."

Musubi lit up immediately, "Ah! Professor!"

"Professor?" he asked with a confused blink.

Minaka coughed to get the blonde's attention, "Yes, I am the head M.B.I."

Naruto adopted a thoughtful expression and tried remember where he'd heard that.

'_Damn, no good, hey Kurama_.' Naruto asked his fuzzy companion.

'**_Remember that newspaper that mask seller hit you with a couple days ago?_****'** Kurama said reminding Naruto.

'_Yeah, oh wait, the report was about Minaka buying the majority of public sales of shinobi gear. Why would anyone do that?_' Naruto asked himself.

'**_Ask him, not me_.'**Kurama replied.

'_You're no help_.' Naruto commented.

"Hey, crazy man," Naruto deadpanned.

"It's Minaka you nitwit!" he yelled in response.

"Yeah whatever, so just tell me, what's all this about. Sekirei, Ashikabi, and why they're fighting." Naruto said wanting to know.

"Of course, now listen closely. This is the Sekirei Plan! The greatest game ever devised! One hundred and eight Sekirei have been released into the Leaf Village! They must search high and low to find their Ashikabi and join them in mortal combat! Then, once each Sekirei has been winged, all of the Ashikabi plus their Sekirei will fight until one Ashikabi stands victorious above them all. This victor will receive the ultimate prize! Which is a secret by the way," Minaka said like a madman announcing his manifesto.

Naruto by this point was seething, his feelings felt by Musubi who was incredibly frightened. "You," he said flatly.

"Hm?" Minaka wondered.

"Do you really think that they're nothing more than weapons!? You're sending them out here to fight to the death and you call this a game!? They're people dammit! They're not tools to be used you bastard!" Naruto shouted in a mixture of pure rage and sheer disbelief.

Musubi's face was flushed at Naruto's adamant declaration.

Minaka on the other hand, was laughing like the madman he said, "Good! Good! Your powerful feelings will make this even more interesting. Oh, one more thing Naruto."

"What?" Naruto asked, not even attempting to hide his anger.

"This plan is a total secret, so don't reveal it to anyone or else."

"Or else what, you think I'm afraid of you?"

Minaka chuckled again and said, "Tell, and your Sekirei will be taken and you will be punished."

Naruto slammed the receiver down, nearly breaking the phone, and said seething with rage, "Just try it you bastard."

"N-Naruto?" Musubi asked worriedly.

"What?" he snapped. His features softened when he noticed the fear on Musubi's face. Now he felt really crappy. "Hey Musubi, look I'm…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that," he said with self-loathing.

Musubi shook her head gently and said, "No it's okay. You were just mad that's all."

"Huh?" he asked dumbly.

"You were worried about my safety and the fact it was endangered made you angry. In fact, it makes me really happy," she said calmly.

"Um, o…kay."

"Now, let's finish packing up," she said bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Seeing the…effects it had, Naruto thought to himself, '_That's it. She's gonna kill me, either from blood loss and slapping my own hand through my head._' With a final sigh, he got back to work.

* * *

The next day found Naruto and Musubi collapsed on a bench together. Naruto, who had been peacefully dreaming, awoke due to noticing a new presence. His eyes opened slightly and then promptly shut in the bright morning light.

After adjusting a bit, he opened them and finally took in who was standing in front of him, and went white as a ghost.

Standing above him with sun shining ominously behind him, was Iruka Umino, his hands on his hips and a fake grin on his face twitching and threatening to crack with rage.

Naruto shook wildly and looked at Iruka and said, "Hehehe, hey Iruka sensei fancy seeing you…here," he uttered those last words trying to put his hand behind his head, but found it securely sandwiched in Musubi's impressive bust. This caused Naruto lose all color to his entire body.

"NARUTO! What the hell is going on!?" Iruka demanded, not sure what to feel at seeing his prized student collapsed on a bench in the middle of town with some skimpily dressed floozy hanging off of him.

Musubi moaned slightly as she stretched and yawned, then rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, kind of, then looked at Naruto and said sleepily, "Naruto? What's going on, keep it down I'm trying to sleep."

Iruka's face broke into a full frown with a twitching eyebrow, while Naruto looked like an ink painting.

Iruka pointed to the Hokage's tower and said, "Hokage's office, NOW!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto stood immediately, grabbed Musubi by the arm and took off like a rocket.

* * *

Inside his office, Hiruzen was looking at the two in front of him, or more precisely one of them.

He was looking at Musubi and trying desperately to hold back a nosebleed. He looked at Naruto and released a heavy sigh. "Alright Naruto, care to explain?"

Naruto stood, awkwardly shifting under the old Hokage's gaze, "I would…I can't really, not with everyone in here at least."

Hiruzen cocked an eyebrow and then understood his meaning. With a single motion, he signaled the ANBU hiding in the room to leave.

"Oh wow, I didn't even know they were there!" Musubi said with amazement, causing everyone to face fault.

"Th-that's kinda the idea Musubi," Naruto then looked lightly confused, "Him too," he said, pointing to a section of the wall.

Hiruzen looked and then called the ANBU back.

Who immediately found and apprehended the intruder.

Upon seeing the plain white mask, Hiruzen grit his teeth, '_Damn Danzo, even now he's trying to get at Naruto_.' He thought as he turned back to Naruto and asked, "What about Iruka?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, I trust him."

Naruto's words gave Iruka a small smile.

"Right, now, please explain what's going on."

Naruto took several breaths to calm himself and thought, '_To hell with M.B.I., the old man needs to here this_.' "Alright gramps, there's something going on in the village called the Sekirei plan. It's basically a-"

He was stopped by Hiruzen putting up his hand, "I already know that, that's what I thought she was but I wanted to be sure."

At this point, everyone, including Naruto, was amazed.

Seeing their expressions, Hiruzen chuckled, took a drag of his pipe and said, "Come now, I'm the Hokage. You didn't really think something this big could happen without my knowledge did you?"

Naruto's face lit up with a smile that threatened to split it in half. "That's incredible old man! But wait, how come you didn't stop it?"

With a big sigh, Hiruzen said, "Because this is not only a civilian matter, but it extends far beyond just our village. So unfortunately I have little authority. Not to mention Minaka would've just gone to a different hidden village if we refused. Imagine the results if another village had the Sekirei, they would be treated no better than the jinchuriki and be little more than weapons of the state."

Clenching his fists, Naruto nodded in agreement.

"However, all the same," he said, getting everyone's attention, "since this is such a big matter, I'd like you to keep it quiet if you can. Unless you meet another Ashikabi or Sekirei, you are to tell no one. The last thing I'd want is Danzo getting word of this."

Naruto nodded in certainty and said, "I remember him from that one council meeting I attended, even Kurama said that guy's bad news.

"Kurama?" Iruka and Musubi asked simultaneously.

Naruto paled again, "I just said that out loud didn't I?"

Musubi adopted her confused pose again while Iruka narrowed his eyes with a frown.

* * *

In a cage inside of a large room filled with water, a large orange fox smacked its head against a set of iron bars several times.

* * *

**And there goes chapter two. Next time Naruto's going to join team seven and go to Izumo Inn, after that will be a few simple missions and then the Wave arc after that. Naruto should also get some new Sekirei as well.**


	3. Team 7

Chapter III

**Geez, it's like a wildfire. Well here's three finally, also revealing the identity of the mystery Ashikabi, which several people actually got right.**

**Anywho, reviewer responses:**

**kendryn: that's the idea**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: no, they won't get any.**

**gamelover41592: thanks, and a few.**

**Oh, one more thing. I get it! Quite a few people aired their displeasure at removing Tsukiumi. The only reason I did that is for another character to become an Ashikabi but I'll come up with something else since so many people seem to not like her being out.**

**And finally, read, review and tell me what you think.**

**A/N: I now have a beta and he helped me get these recent chapters upgraded. So until I'm able to get all the chapters improved don't expect any new material for a few days. If what he says is accurate I should have a new one out by Friday at the latest.**

* * *

Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Hiruzen looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes and asked seriously, "Naruto, who is this Kurama?"

Naruto sighed and thought, '_I guess I can't hide it anymore, I hope you're not_too_mad.'_

The voice in his mind huffed and answered, "**_I honestly couldn't care less who knows of me, but my name is important. But I trust the old man enough, do this again however and you will know what pain is_**_._"

Naruto gulped and thought back, '_U-understood!'_.

Hiruzen and the others watched in confusion as Naruto's expressions went through uncertainty, complacency, irritation, and fear.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Musubi asked with a hand pressed to her heart in concern.

Naruto gave her a confident smile and said, "Yup! Just fine!" ending with a thumb up.

This reassured Musubi, Iruka wasn't convinced but decided to leave it alone.

"Right, now, Naruto, who is this _Kurama_?" the Third asked with narrowed eyes.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head then answered, "Well gramps, there's no easy way to say this but…Kurama, is the Nine-tails."

Hiruzen just looked at him with mild surprise, and then he sighed. His features then hardened.

Naruto cringed and closed his eyes, expecting the verbal beating of a lifetime. He was both surprised and confused however, when he felt a hand land softly on his head.

He looked up to see Hiruzen looking at him with a grandfatherly smile. He looked at Naruto and said, "You don't need to be so scared, Naruto. I'm not foolish enough to think that you getting friendly with the Nine-tails makes the two of you one and the same. I simply hope that you will be careful and try not to get your will overridden by his."

Naruto looked at Hiruzen in shock, his eyes then filled with tears as he wrapped Hiruzen in a big hug and said 'thank you' over and over.

* * *

Inside the seal, Kurama laid his head on the butt of his hand with a small smile.

* * *

Musubi had a truly contently happy smile.

Wiping the last of his happy tears away, Naruto looked at Hiruzen and said, "Thanks old man!"

Hiruzen just chuckled when a knock rapped against the door.

Gently pushing Naruto aside as he sat in his seat, Hiruzen said, "Come in!"

In walked Asuma Sarutobi, Hiruzen's son. Asuma was tall with short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and a short beard. He also wore the standard jonin outfit with one difference, a light blue sash around his waist with a black circle that had a red symbol for 'fire' in it.

Asuma, who had a cigarette in his mouth, noticed Naruto and gave a puzzled look before looking at his father and said, "Pops, we just got info from one of the border guards, a few strange characters were spotted. One of them was odd though."

Hiruzen sighed, looked at Asuma and said, "I'm the Hokage first, your father second. Next, what was the report?"

Naruto noticed a small wince from Asuma who answered, "They captured one of the intruders, he wore a village symbol we didn't recognize."

Hiruzen nodded, "Thank you for the information Asuma. Oh, mind if I ask you a question?"

Puzzled, Asuma just nodded, "Sure, shoot."

"Naruto was just evicted on flimsy charges, unfortunately there's little I can do. Do you know anywhere he can stay?"

"Hmm," Asuma thought while stroking his beard, "I've got a few ideas. Get back to me after team assignments and I should have an answer."

Hiruzen nodded then looked at Naruto, "That reminds me, don't you have somewhere to be?"

Naruto looked at him confused until his eyes widened and his hair stood on end, "OH CRAP!" he shouted, choosing to bolt out the window instead of the door, leaving a dust cloud in his wake as he ran.

"Wow," Musubi said in amazement and prepared to go as well when she felt something grab her sleeve. She looked back to see Hiruzen shaking his head. "Oooohhhh," she said irritated.

* * *

Naruto stood outside the academy holding his knees and huffing and panting. Looking at his watch he said, "Good…I…just barely…made it," in between pants.

* * *

Walking into the room he looked for a clear seat and saw there were only three, so he weighed his options. '_Hmmm, one next to Shikamaru, nah I wanna stay awake this time. Next is Sasuke's left, nope. Last is, the jerk's right. Damn, this sucks.'_ With a sigh, Naruto took a seat on Sasuke's right.

Sasuke glared at him ready to give his clan's usual taunt when he noticed something…different, about him. Deciding to investigate it later, he left him alone.

Naruto sat calmly reading some scrolls when he, along with the rest of the class, heard a stampede heading their way.

The entire class, including Shikamaru oddly enough, looked at the door as the room as the sound increased in volume.

Pretty soon two people burst through the open door, or rather, tried to. The two in question were Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, the two of the trying to get through the door, stuck between it and each other.

"Back off billboard brow, that spot's mine!" Ino screeched, trying to squeeze past Sakura.

"No way Ino-Pig, it's mine!" Sakura similarly screeched, similarly trying to squeeze through the door.

After several seconds of fighting the two burst through the door; they both face-planted on the floor while sliding several feet. Leaving them flustered and the class giggling; both girls turned around with death glares, until they saw who opened the door.

Standing by the door holding it open was Sasuke, with an irritated expression. Muttering his usual 'hn' he went back to his seat next to Naruto.

Seeing where Naruto sat, Sakura yelled, "Hey stupid, that's my seat! Move!"

Naruto just narrowed his eyes in annoyance and pointed to the seat on Sasuke's other side.

Seeing her mistake, she huffed, flipped her hair and sauntered over to the seat and sat down. She tried to look graceful; though the blush and irritated look undermined this act.

It was then Ino's turn to yell, "Hey move it Naruto!" pointing at her fellow blonde.

Naruto narrowed his eyes again and pointed to the seat next to Shikamaru.

"What!? No way, I wanna sit next to Sasuke not him!" Ino screamed.

Naruto huffed and noticed Sasuke had a well hidden pleading expression. Noticing it, Naruto crossed his arms and huffed, turning his head up from Ino.

Her only response being to clench her fists at her sides and glare daggers, she then begrudgingly sat next to Shikamaru.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and grinned, who gave a microscopic smirk in response.

"Hey idiot, stop looking at Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto just looked at disgruntled and thought, '_Why did I have a crush on her again?'_

**"_Because you're a teenage human with raging hormones,_"**Kurama replied to his comment.

_'No one asked you!'_Naruto said.

Seeing Naruto's frustrated face she huffed in satisfaction.

* * *

Moments later, Iruka walked in with a stack of papers. "Alright class I have…" he trailed off as they ignored him."Hey. Hey!"

Knowing what Iruka planned to do, Naruto shut his eyes and covered his ears, nudging Sasuke's elbow. He looked at Iruka and did the same.

"I SAID QUIET!" Iruka bellowed with his infamous Big Head Jutsu.

After it passed, both Sasuke and Naruto sighed in relief.

Seeing his jutsu taking effect, Iruka nodded happily and continued in a level tone, "Alright then. Now, I have your team assignments. I'll start with team one and move down the line."

Noticing none of the teams included him, Naruto unconsciously zoned out until.

"Team Seven is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno-"

"YAY!" Sakura yelled with volition.

Sighing, Iruka continued, "and Naruto Uzumaki."

"WHAT!?" all three yelled at once.

"Did I stutter?" Iruka asked the newly formed Team 7.

Narrowing his eyes into squints, Naruto said, "Sensei, why am I paired with him?"

"Balance" Iruka simply said.

"How is that balanced?" Naruto asked.

Iruka shrugged and said, "Because your scores are consistently the lowest, and Sasuke's the highest, you're paired for balance. While Sakura's are right in the middle."

Sakura let out a defeated sigh, Sasuke went 'hn', and Naruto growled, and then gave a subtle smile.

Sighing, Iruka continued, "Anyway, Team Seven's sensei is Kakashi Hatake."

This caused Naruto to perk up slightly in confusion.

"Team Eight is Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, with Kurenai Yuhi."

"Yes!" Kiba, a teenage boy with short spiky brown hair, black feral eyes, and red triangular marks, bellowed. He also wore a black leather jacket, and black pants, receiving an eraser to the forehead. "Hey! Who did that!?"

Naruto chuckled with a hand over his mouth, Kiba just growled.

Shino, a teenager with a long grey hooded coat, another darker coat underneath with a high collar covering his mouth, dark pants and dark round sunglasses, sat silently, with a buzzing noise.

Hinata, a girl with long blue black hair down to her waist, a baggy purple jacket, hiding a mild bust, and baggy blue capri pants that tightened at the bottom, looked down cast that she wasn't placed with a certain someone.

Sighing again, Iruka said, "Since Team Nine is still in circulation, we'll finish with Team Ten. They're Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara under Asuma Sarutobi."

Ino, who had bleach blonde hair tied in a long high ponytail with one heavy bang over her right eye, her eyes were pale blue, she wore a sleeveless, high neck, purple button down belly shirt, a short black skirt with a purple open front apron on top, and mesh knee and elbow warmers, sighed at not being with Sasuke.

Shikamaru, a teen with a lazy and somewhat irritated expression wearing a mesh shirt with a beige coat lined in green, his headband on the left bicep, and dark pants, muttered, "What a drag."

Choji, a pudgy teen with long brown spiky hair, red swirls on his cheeks, a red two piece suit with armor plates sewn in, the chest piece having the symbol for 'food' drawn on it, simply ignored the proceedings while eating.

"Right, that's all the teams. Your senseis will be here shortly to pick you up," Iruka said leaving the room.

* * *

After nearly two hours, soon-to-be team seven were the only ones left.

Sakura was fuming, Sasuke was annoyed, and Naruto wasn't paying attention, reading a scroll on sealing jutsu.

Glancing to his left, Sasuke noticed Naruto's chosen reading material and quirked an eyebrow. After a few more minutes, Naruto got an irritated look and peered up from his book. Getting a devious grin, Naruto wrote on a piece of paper, making a seal.

Seeing this, Sasuke's curiosity peaked beyond suppression, "What are you doing loser?"

Looking at Sasuke with narrowed eyes, Naruto grinned, "Preparing a 'present' for our late sensei, since he's usually late anyway."

Sasuke was too confused to examine his statement and said, "I see…wait a second," he said in imperceptible surprise, "How do you know that?"

Naruto placed the piece of paper on the frame and slid the door over it. Then he grinned at Sasuke and said, "A little birdy told me."

* * *

On a rooftop in the Leaf village, a woman in a brown trenchcoat and mesh shirt sneezed, tossing her dango to the ground. Her face darkened, her eyes glinted, and she raised her fist, grinding out, "Whoever's talking about me, you're dead!"

* * *

Naruto stood ramrod stiff and shivered.

"What's wrong stupid? You speechless at my beauty?" Sakura asked brazenly.

Naruto crossed his arms and scoffed under his breath, "As if."

Sakura, hearing him speak and assuming, unknowingly correctly, it was an insult, yelled, "What was that!?"

Naruto got frightful and thought, '_How'd she hear me!?'_ He then bolted to his seat as the door opened slowly.

Naruto grinned, Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, and Sakura looked constipated.

The door opened slowly as a single tuft of silver hair poked through. Once the door opened, the piece of paper on the floor emitted a weak glow as a jet of water shot up, hard. Through the jet a single dinner plate-sized eye was visible.

While this happened, Naruto nearly fell out of his chair laughing, Sasuke barely suppressed a smile as his mouth twitched, and Sakura looked angry, but though, '_Cha! Serves ya right ya stupid jerk, Cha!'_

The now soaking wet form of Kakashi stood there, a lazy expression and looked at the group he cringed as Sakura yelled, "You're late!"

Giving an eye smile, he rubbed the back of his head and lied pathetically, "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."

Simultaneously, all three genin thought, '_That sucked_.'

Eyeing the group, Kakashi thought, '_Let's see we got a fan girl with a poorly hidden sadistic side, an emo who fails at even being that, and Naruto. Oi this is going to be hard_.' "Meet me on the roof." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well I'm off!" Naruto said with a salute.

Sakura grumbled as Sasuke sat up. She looked back at Naruto and said, "Hey, you comin?"

Naruto waved her off and said with a grin, "I'll be there."

"Whatever," she shrugged while leaving.

After they left, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

On the roof, Kakashi sat reading a small orange book while giggling perversely. He looked up and his eye got wide when Naruto appeared in a puff of smoke. '_The Teleportation Jutsu? How?'_ He though in surprise.

His surprise was ended by screeching when Sakura yelled, "How'd you get up here so fast!?" pointing at Naruto.

He just grinned at her and adjusted his headband, "I'm just awesome like that."

Grumbling some more she and Sasuke sat down next to Naruto.

Snapping his book shut and stuffing it away, Kakashi looked at them and said, "Well, since we're meeting for the first time, introduce yourselves."

Sakura looked at him slightly confused and said, "But what should we say sensei?"

Sighing he said, "Okay, how about your likes, dislikes, dreams, and hobbies. I'll go first. My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes, well I like a lot of things. I don't really dislike very much. Hmm, my dreams, never really thought about it. Hobbies, I have lots."

Twitching an eyebrow, Naruto thought, '_All he told us was his name_.'

**_"What did you expect?"_** Kurama asked.

_'A little more than that.'_Naruto replied.

"Okay, pinkie, you're next," he said, pointing to Sakura.

She yelled in response, "My name's not pinkie!"

"So tell us what it _is_."

Blushing she said, "Oh, right, ha ha. *cough cough* My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like is, or rather _who_I like is…" she trailed off blushing and staring at Sasuke. "My dreams are…" she looked at Sasuke again and squealed, "my hobby is…" staring at Sasuke again.

Sighing Kakashi said, "How about what you _don't_ like?"

All features becoming angry, she said, "I _hate_ Naruto!"

Both Naruto and Kakashi became slightly unbalanced and nearly fell over, with Kakashi flailing so as to not become a stain on the road, then sighing in relief. "Okay broody, you're up."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't particularly like anything, and I hate a lot of things. What I have isn't a dream, because dreams are unobtainable goals people set knowing they will never reach. What I have is an ambition, because I _will_ make it a reality."

Sakura pulled her hands up in front of her face and squealed in her mind '_Sasuke is so awesome!_'

Sweat dropping, Kakashi persisted uneasily, "And that is?"

"To restore my clan and kill a certain, someone" Sasuke said with anger at the end.

_'This can't end well. Let's just hope Naruto can bring him out of this negative focus soon enough_,' Kakashi thought seriously. Lastly he looked at Naruto and said, "Okay smart aleck, your turn."

Adjusting his headband with a confident grin, Naruto said, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I like ramen, training, and Musubi. Oops!" he said realizing what he just.

Confused, Sakura asked, "What's Musubi?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, "Noothiing, hehehehehe, eehh," he finished with a sigh, then coughed to get back on track. "Anyway, I dislike a lot of things, but traitors and people who can't distinguish a kunai from a storage scroll most of all."

Hearing this made Kakashi give a small smile under his mask.

"My hobbies are training, learning new jutsu, and following sensei's legacy."

"Sensei, you mean me?" Kakashi asked slightly confused, pointing to himself.

"No not you, my old sensei!" Naruto snapped like it was an insult.

"Who was that?" Kakashi asked while a little disappointed.

"Can't tell you" Naruto said.

"Okay, how about your dream?" Kakashi asked.

"To become recognized by everyone for who I _really_ am, protect the people precious to me, and become Hokage, ya know!" Naruto yelled at the end.

Kakashi's smile became much wider, though still unnoticeable under his mask and he said, "Great. My first impression, I hate you. Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow at five for your genin test."

"EEEHHH! What do you mean, we already took it Kakashi sensei!" Sakura yelled, getting agreeing nods from Sasuke and Naruto for once.

"Actually that was just the basic test, used to weed out undesirables. This test is what _really_ determines whether you become shinobi or not. Oh, one more thing, don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw it up," he said in a far too cheery tone. "Dismissed," he said and vanished in a teleportation.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sakura yelled, "So all that was for nothing that sucks."

"Quit screeching would you?" Naruto said with growing annoyance as cleaned out his ear with his pinky, "It makes sense really."

"Oh, and how do you figure stupid?"

"Because, the passing parameters for the academy test are way too low. Having this be the real test makes more sense," he said matter of fact.

Irritated at how right he was, Sakura did the only thing she could; change the subject, "Okay then, what about not eating breakfast?"

"Probably just mind games, though it doesn't matter for you either way does Sakura?" Naruto said in a teasing voice.

Sakura gave a triumphant humph and said, "Somebody has watch my figure."

Naruto narrow his eyes into slits in irritation and thought, '_Okay, any remaining crush I had just got crushed.'_ He then thought with a perverted giggle he didn't know he had, '_Sure am glad I have Musubi,'_ imagining said Sekirei in multiple layers of undress.

"Hey, are you thinking perverted thoughts about me idiot!?" Sakura accused with a pointing finger.

Narrowing his eyes again with a grumble he said, "Fat chance."

"What was that!?" she said dangerously.

His danger sense kicking into overdrive, Naruto quickly teleported away leaving nothing but a puff of smoke. Crossing her arms with another huff, Sakura said defeated, "Perv ran off," then seeing Sasuke walk away, she gave chase pestering him for dates.

* * *

Hiruzen sat in his office with Musubi on the couch playing with a little ball when there was a puff of smoke in the room, surprising Hiruzen and astonishing Musubi, even more so when they saw who it was.

"Naruto! You're back!" Musubi said as she leapt at him, burying his head in her chest.

_'Lucky bastard'_ thought the jealous aging Hokage. After several seconds of their roughhousing Hiruzen coughed into his hand, which got their attention.

Naruto immediately stood up, knocking Musubi on her backside, with a blush on his face.

Sighing Hiruzen said, "Something you need Naruto?"

Laughing sheepishly, Naruto said, "Just something troublesome I had to get away from, that's all."

"Right, well you're just on time," the old Hokage said.

"Really, why?" he asked now confused.

Hiruzen handed him a slip of paper and said, "I just got directions from Asuma for an inn you can stay at."

Naruto's face lit up, then became downcast, "Are sure they'll…let _me_ stay there?" he asked quietly.

Seeing his surrogate grandson's trepidation, Hiruzen tried to comfort him, "Actually, the owner of the inn is an old friend of Kakashi's."

"That's great! Though why wouldn't they let him stay grampy?" Musubi asked excitedly.

_'Grampy?'_ Naruto deadpanned in his mind.

Sighing at her nickname, Hiruzen looked at Naruto, who shook his head, the old Hokage then said, "That's something for you and Naruto to discuss, not me."

"Okay," she nodded, seemingly placated.

Naruto then looked at the slip and said aloud, "Izumo Inn, huh? Sounds nice."

* * *

After leaving the Hokage tower, Naruto and Musubi made their way to the inn. However, shortly before arriving, they decided to cut through a park. What they saw worried Musubi and concerned Naruto.

What they saw was a young woman with short, messy reddish orange hair, pale skin, and dull grey eyes, lying down on the ground with only a bloody lab coat covering her.

What caught Naruto's eye most of all was the mark on her forehead. It was a red symbol made of a bird, with a yin yang symbol below it, with six tomoe on the bottom. Naruto snapped awake when he heard Musubi gasp. "What's wrong Musubi?"

She pointed to the mark and said, "That mark," horror dripping from her voice.

"What about it?" he asked, feeling her despair.

"It's the mark of a scrapped number," she said somberly.

"A…scrapped number?" he asked rather puzzled.

Suddenly the woman spoke up, in a weak, tremulous voice, "I am…broken…unwanted. I am nothing more than a wasted specimen."

Hearing this, Naruto instinctively got to his knees and said, "Look, I don't know what a scrapped number is, but I do know you're a person, not some tool that had its head broken."

"But she…she…" Musubi said, clutching her chest about to cry.

Naruto turned to her, his eyes alight with a kind of fury she's never seen, the sight causing heat to rise in the 'scrapped number's' face and chest. "She's what?"

"A scrapped number, they…they can't be winged," she said, tears rolling down her face.

"I…I see," Naruto said, closing his eyes and clenching his fist. '_Damn Minaka, damn him and his forsaken game, this woman sees herself as nothing more than damaged goods because of him_.' He stood up certainty in his eyes, appearing as grand blue orbs of hope to the 'scrapped number'. "Hey, what's your name, I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Akitsu, it's Akitsu," she said weakly and with emotion rising.

Smiling his trademark foxy grin, he extended his hand and said, "Well _Akitsu_, wanna come with us? I don't know if I can grant your wish of being winged, but I can give you someplace warm to stay. At least for a few days."

A smile broke Akitsu's sullen features when a pompous voice spoke up. "Sorry, but she's going to be part of my collection, not yours."

Naruto turned and glared, seeing a short, blonde teenager in a fancy white suit with two people beside him.

One was a man with short, messy, silver haired, man with brown eyes. He wore a black, open front, long-sleeved shirt with an 'x' pattern across his midsection. He wore black combat gloves and long black pants, topped with a long orange scarf.

The other was a woman with long brown hair and matching eyes, a red bow around her neck and in her hair, she wore a white and black dress with long matching boots and short gloves. Her most notable feature was the long red scythe she had, which she held like a baby.

_'This is bad,'_ Naruto thought.

"Naruto," Musubi said seriously, getting his attention.

"What?" he asked, not taking his attention from the other group.

"They're Sekirei."

Standing with a sigh and scratching his head, he said, "Thought so. Sure could use those Lightning Twins right about now."

"Say no more," a lazy voice said.

Suddenly, three puffs of smoke appeared.

When it cleared, Naruto gaped at what he saw.

In the middle was Kakashi, holding his usual perverted, orange book. Flanking him however, were Hikari and Hibiki.

"Wait, Sensei, you're an Ashikabi too?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Kakashi turned around an eye smile and nodded.

Standing with more confidence, Naruto pumped a fist forward and declared, "Yeah, now it gets good!"

"No," Kakashi said simply.

"What!? Why!?" the blonde asked defiantly.

"Ashikabi or not, you're still my student," he said, he then thought, '_and my surrogate little brother_.' "As such, I cannot let you fight a battle I can prevent," '_even though I've failed so much in the past_.' "So sit back, hold onto Musubi, and let me fight them."

Amazed, all Naruto could do was nod dumbly and calm Musubi, who was bouncing with excitement.

Snapping his book shut, Kakashi said, "Shall we get to work ladies?"

Standing ready to fight, both girls said in unison, "Yeah!"

* * *

**And there you have it. Hikari and Hibiki's Ashikabi is Kakashi. I actually came up with this bit even before I came up with the actual story. Anyway, this one was pretty hard to write, mainly because I was trying to get Sasuke and Sakura's personalities just annoying enough that their change throughout the story is noticeable, but not be to the point of character bashing. No, Danzo gets that honor. With that done, don't forget to tell me what you think, any ideas you have, or anything in general. Just not personal stuff, that's weird.**


	4. Izumo Inn and Scrapped Numbers

Chapter IV

**And finally, here's chapter four. Sorry for the wait. Anywho, this shows the battle between Yomi and Mutsu and the Lightning Twins, which was harder than I'd expected. Mainly because Yomi is a one trick pony, but easy enough to work with, but Mutsu is much more difficult because I tried to make him fight without drawing his sword like he usually does in canon, but that still leaves his elemental powers. The biggest problems is I can't think of much that allows him to use his sword in launching his attacks, so if anyone has ny ideas on that front, I'm all ears. This is also the introduction to Izumo Inn and Miya. Lastly, I hope Naruto doesn't seem to weird here, I mainly wrote it this way to show just how overwhelmingly powerful the single digits are, that even Naruto, who, despite smarter and stronger, still loves a good fight, is tactically minded enough to know when he's fighting a losing battle. Still, tell me what you think and how I can improve it. Now for reviewer responses.**

**yukicrewger2: Yes, yes, and no, not this time sorry.**

**ncpfan: I see what you mean, but the comedic opportunities this time around will center more around his lazy attitude, he'll still be perverse, even a little more than canon, but not to the extent of Seo. As for Jiraiya, just because he isn't their Ashikabi doesn't mean he can't have comedic moments, ;)**

**Duanemaster: Really? Where, I'll see if I can't correct, or maybe just leave it to send future readers for a loop.**

**BigBossVince: I guess I should have been more blatant, which I was here, but her current hair color isn't natural, it's due to the blood in it.**

**shunshinking: Yes. Yes, they have, ;)**

**Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get on with the show, er, story I guess.**

* * *

In a park on the northern side of the Leaf Village, a battle was brewing. On one side stood Kakashi with his Sekirei, Hikari and Hibiki; they were protecting Naruto, Musubi, and Akitsu. On the other side stood Mikogami, Ashikabi of the South with two of his Sekirei, Mutsu and Yomi.

"Listen, if it's all the same to you, I don't personally enjoy battles between Sekirei. So, if you hand over the Scrapped Number nice and easy, this can go without a hitch. Well?" Mikogami asked, a smug tone reverberating in his voice.

Mutsu placed one hand on his blade, narrowed his eyes and spoke, "Jounin or not, Kakashi Hatake, you are no match for both of us."

Kakashi took a lazy look back at Naruto, who sneered and shook his head slightly, taking protective hold of Akitsu, much to the latter's apparent pleasure.

Seeing this Kakashi shrugged, He looked at his Sekirei then to Mikogami and answered succinctly, "No."

With a sigh and slight shrug, Mikogami waved a hand and said, "Very well, get them."

Mutsu practically vanished into thin air, he became a black and orange blur; his sword being stopped by Hikari's lightning encased forearm, "Sorry, bud. But our Ashikabi thinks the scrapper's worth protecting. So, irritating as it is to protect another Sekirei, you're going down!"

Mutsu huffed, "You really think you can beat a single digit? Hmph, you're full of it." Mutsu pressed his sword against Hikari's arm and propelled off, then tapped his sword on the ground, followed by a slicing motion towards Hikari.

Realising what that meant, Hikari jumped as high as she could.

"Stone spears," Mutsu said calmly as hundreds of near senbon sized needles of rock shot towards the more temperamental Lightning Twin.

Hikari clicked her tongue in irritation, and then remember something Kakashi told her and smirked. She again encased her arm in crackling, purple electricity, but then concentrated the electricity into her hand, pointed it at the needles and called out. "Lightning Senbon!" as thousands of small needles made of electricity shot from her hand, completely overpowering Mutsu's attack.

Mutsu hopped back several times to dodge the senbon, and then dodge in all directions as the never-ending barrage pelted him.

Irritated at missing, Hikari grumble, "Stand still will ya!" The shower stopped when her charged electricity ran out, "Crap."

Seeing his chance, Mutsu leapt into the air to meet Hikari, and with a swiftness gained only through experience, kicked her square in the stomach as plummeted to the ground below, releasing a blast of electricity from her feet just in time to not get deactivated.

"You seem rather versatile with your element," Mutsu noted calmly, biting his lip lightly in irritation.

"Yeah, lightning's the most versatile right behind wind. But it's _way_ cooler!" she yelled proudly she fired a burst at Mutsu who dodged towards the hill next to him and slid down. "Hey! Get back here asshole!" she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Kakashi shaking his head. "Why?" she demanded.

He just pointed.

Her eyes widened when she saw the ground around Mutsu deforming lightly every so often, with his sword stabbed into the earth. "Damn, his manipulation's that good, huh?"

"He is a single number after all," Kakashi said lazily.

Hikari pouted in response, "Stop telling me."

* * *

Hibiki, on the other hand, wasn't fairing nearly as good.

Yomi's scythe allowed her limited wind manipulation, meaning just about every attack, save for some more powerful electric blasts, were snuffed out before they got close to the sadistic scythe wielder.

And close quarters combat was out of the question, with her large scythe, Yomi could chop Hibiki into small pieces before she even got close.

After narrowly dodging another wind blade, Hibiki cursed as it nicked her shoulder, "Damn, I can't even get close like this." She jumped to the side, back, then up in the air to dodge more attacks.

However, upon seeing Yomi's wide smirk, Hibiki realized just how costly that move was. She was up in the air almost completely defenseless, and the short augmentations she could make in the air with bursts of electricity wouldn't be nearly powerful enough and quick enough to dodge Yomi's next attack. Realizing this, she did the only thing she could think of, she charged as much electricity into her right hand as possible as Yomi slashed the air multiple times, sending nearly nine blades of wind at her. Seeing her last chance, Hibiki released all the charged energy in one powerful wide burst that had two effects.

First, the blast had enough pent up energy to overpower most of Yomi's attacks. Second, the recoil sent Hibiki rocketing to the ground.

She released a quick burst of electricity from her back to prevent from getting splattered, but still hit hard enough to knock the wind out of her chest, leaving her coughing for several seconds.

After the daze of being hit with the electrically charged air wore off, Yomi saw Hibiki on the ground desperately clamoring for air and got a devilish smirk, rushing over to her position with her scythe held high.

She swung it down, hoping to decapitate the dark haired Sekirei, but was astonished when a small wall of pure electricity stopped her scythe.

Seeing Yomi's surprised look, Hibiki chuckled, "It's something I just came up with, and I call it the Polarity Wall." Hibiki stood up shakily; keeping her wall locked with Yomi's blade, and charged electricity into her clenched fist.

With perfect timing, she dropped the wall, causing Yomi to stumble and falter, and jabbed at her midsection with her charged fist. Resulting in not only the damage from her punch, which was still significant despite her weakened state, but also from a surge of electricity coursing through Yomi's body. Once she went limp, Hibiki tossed her to the ground like a throw pillow and prepared to remove her crest, and thus take her out of the game, when several baseball sized chunks of rock flew by her.

* * *

Standing across from her was Mutsu, who had run up the hill and tried to slash at Hikari.

Hikari was deftly grabbed across the waist and pulled to safety by Kakashi.

That's when Naruto noticed something, "Kakashi sensei, why aren't you fighting?" he asked irritated and confused.

Seeing genuine confusion, Kakashi answered, "Ashikabi aren't supposed to participate."

"So?!" Naruto asked in disbelief, "You just gonna let them fight like that?!"

"I know they can take care of themselves," Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Really, if you hadn't saved, uh, whichever one that is, she would've severely injured or killed by…whoever that guy is," Naruto said, realizing he didn't know any of their names.

Seeing his point and realizing how powerful a single number was, Kakashi shrugged, "Well, can't be helped I guess," he said as he got into a battle stance.

Hikari looked at him shocked, "You don't seriously think it'll take all three of us to beat him do you?"

Kakashi eye smiled again and responded, "You never can be too careful. Besides, I still owe this guy for slicing up my book," he finished with anime tears.

The twins just looked at him in disbelief and disgust, Hikari saying, "I can't believe our Ashikabi is such a pervert."

Kakashi eye smiled again before the three charged at Mutsu.

Mutsu steeled himself for retaliation. First was Hibiki with a well-charged fist. Being careful to stay away from her hand, Mutsu slapped it away and tried knee her in the gut, but she blocked with her other hand and jumped away.

Next was Hikari trying an electrified kick, the electricity going all the way up to her knee. Mutsu jumped to the side and the took the long recovery time to nail Hibiki in the solar plexus with the butt of his sword, knocking her off balance and taking her breath.

Kakashi came in last, with a well-timed jab to the face which Mutsu barely dodged. Mutsu retaliated with his free hand and tried to punch Kakashi's face, but used his extended arm to knock it away.

Kakashi aimed a low, high, mid, punch kick combination that caught Mutsu off-guard at the end, resulting in a painful knee to the stomach. Using the momentum from the kick, Kakashi spun counter-clockwise and tried hit Mutsu on the side of the head with his shin.

Mutsu brought up arm and blocked it with his forearm wincing as his lack of stable footing caused him to go tumbling anyway. Rolling twice before kicking off the ground, he landed and slid, sheathing his sword and tapped the ground below him.

"Smashing Point," he said calmly as the ground in front of him split into cubic chunks and crumbled, knocking Kakashi off his footing, giving Mutsu time to leap at him attempt to hit him with his still sheathed sword.

Kakashi put his arms in a defensive 'X' pattern and took the blow, which was good as it prevented him from getting a broken nose, but bad as the sheer force of Mutsu's strike sent him hurtling back into tree with a loud 'thud', knocking several leaves down and winding the silver-haired jounin.

Naruto was in awe at the battle before him, this single number, Mutsu, just took on a jounin and two at least chunin powered fighters at the same time and all he got was a scrape to the forearm and a nasty blow to the gut.

He was in so much awe that he barely noticed said single digit walking calmly over to him. Once he did, however, it took everything he had not just get up and run. He was strong and confident yes, but not stupid. If this guy was able to so effortlessly take on a jounin and two at least chunin with little effort, he didn't stand a chance. His eyes widened to incredible proportions however, when Musubi stood in front of him in a defensive posture.

"You will not hurt Naruto!" she said glaring defiantly at the single number.

Mutsu didn't flinch at her weak killing intent as he released a bit of his own and said calmly, "I'm not here for him or you for that matter. I'm here for her, give me that and you can go," pointing to Akitsu.

Seeing this, Naruto stood up and glared at him. He may have known couldn't beat this guy, even with Musubi's help, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he just handed that defenseless woman over, and so he got into the stance for the first taijutsu style that came to mind.

* * *

Kakashi's eyes or _eye_ rather, widened when he saw the stance Naruto took. It wasn't the normal academy stance, or even one of the simpler ones available to lower ranking shinobi, it was the Intercepting Fist, the style favored by the Uchiha clan. He racked his brain to try and decipher how Naruto knew it, but was brought from his musings by a small cough. He looked to his left and saw Yomi regaining consciousness.

* * *

Mutsu narrowed his eyes as he prepared to launch one of his attacks but was taken by surprise when Naruto swooped in low and aimed a high knee strike that Mutsu was able to easily dodge despite his surprise.

Naruto tried several more attacks, a punch to the face that was knocked away, a sweep kick that was jumped over, and a high, low, high feint low, combo with all different parts that were either dodged, blocked, and redirected.

Irritated, Naruto jumped back and launched several shuriken followed by several hand signs, "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Eight shuriken became twenty-four with multiple puffs of smoke.

Despite being surprised at first, Mutsu effortlessly dodged and knocked away every single one with his sword. It was then he felt something, something different.

The air on the battlefield shifted, a faint light was visible through the smoke, with the loud sound something whirling and spinning violently filled the air.

Confused, Kakashi nearly swallowed his tongue when he realized what the sound was.

Mutsu barely had any time to react as Naruto, accompanied by a shadow clone, jumped from the smoke, with a softball sized mass of erratically spinning and churning bright blue chakra headed straight for him.

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled. It was still incomplete as he couldn't form it or even use it without a shadow clone, but there it was, the Fourth Hokage's second most famous jutsu being held in the fifteen year old blonde's hands.

Mutsu brought his sheathed blade up to block the attack, narrowing his eyes as he slid back slightly. His eyes then shot open when the Rasengan lost its shape and exploded violently, shooting Mutsu back at high speeds, dispelling Naruto's clone and shooting him back as well.

Mutsu flew back and hit Mikogami as the two crumpled to ground ungracefully, Mutsu in a slight daze and Mikogami out cold.

Naruto, on the other hand, was gracefully caught Musubi, his mind going from confusion to sheer bliss as he registered what his head landed on. Musubi, however, was none the wiser.

* * *

Seeing the current condition of all combatants, Kakashi looked at dazed Mikogami and said, "I'd say this battle is over, as a result it's outside of M.B.I. jurisdiction."

Glaring and slightly perplexed at the man's words, Mikogami just stood ther defiantly.

Seeing his expression Kakashi sighed and explained, "Meaning any further aggression will be counted as an assault on a Leaf shinobi, understoond?"

Disgruntled that his 'prize' got away but not wanting to deal with authorities, Mikogami made several quick gestures as Mutsu hoisted him on his shoulder and took off, a frantically yelling Yomi following behind.

* * *

Kakashi sighed once again and said, looking at Naruto, "Well?"

Confused, he responded, "Well what?"

"Well, what did you think of your first Sekirei battle?" Kakashi asked, awaiting his answer.

After thinking for a couple seconds, Naruto looked him in the eye said seriously, "I think it's insane."

Kakasi eye smiled, satisfied. He then pointed to the still bloodied and confused Akitsu and asked, "What're you going to do with her?"

Adopting a think pose, Naruto thought briefly, then scratched at his head in annoyance, "Not sure, first I need to know exactly what a 'scrapped number' is."

"Well," Kakashi started, with a similar posture, "Basically, there's a specific amount of chakra a person needs to have in their bodies, meaning they either need to be gifted civilians or average shinobi to wing a Sekirei. If they don't have the right amount of chakra and kiss the Sekirei, nothing is 'supposed' to happen."

Noticing Kakashi's emphasis on the word 'supposed' he said, "Meaning that's not always the case?"

Kakashi nodded, "Sometimes, if the chakra reserves of the person almost high enough, but not quite, the Sekirei's body will still try to initiate the winging by absorbing chakra from that person. Since it won't be enough, the basic bond that connects that Sekirei's chakra system to that person is created, but the emotional bond or the ability to use their most powerful attack called a norito, is out of their reach. When this happens, at least if what these two have told me is correct," he said motioning to Hikari and Hibiki, who glared at his veiled insult, "then M.B.I. places a special seal that prevents anyone else from bonding with that Sekirei, because even a winged Sekirei can be bonded to someone else if a titanic enough amount of chakra is used."

Naruto thought for a moment, glanced at Akitsu, then Kakashi, then Akitsu and back several times before a proverbial light bulb went off.

Seeing the realization hit him, Kakashi eye smiled and asked, "Figured it out yet?"

Naruto nodded noncommittally and then spoke, "So basically, if I feed her enough of my chakra, then I can not only break that seal but bond her to me? Is that right?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Don't know. I don't know of many other scrapped numbers, and definitely don't know anyone else besides high jounin like myself or the kage that have high enough reserves to even attempt it. But it's worth a shot at least."

Naruto nodded, then knelt down to Akitsu's level and brushed some of her hair aside, realizing its reddish-orange color was not natural but due to the blood staining it. Seeing this, he grimaced, then asked her, "Akitsu." He waited for her to look at him and said, "Do you want to be my Sekirei?"

She looked down and said solemnly, "I can't…I'm…broken."

Naruto gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I think I know a way to fix you though."

Her head snapped up at him and she asked, "Will you…stay beside…me? Will you not…throw me…way?"

He shook his head and said with slightest hint of rage, "You're a person, not a thing. Anyone who can even think of doing that deserves a swift kick in the face."

Akitsu chuckled weakly at his not so eloquent response.

Naruto gave her a wide, fox-like grin and said merrily, "Well lookie there, I made you laugh. So, I'll ask again, do you want to be my Sekirei?"

Thinking for a moment and looking at him worriedly, she nodded.

He nodded back and cupped her chin, then leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. He tasted her lips on his, cold and frightened, with a flavor similar to shaved ice. Instantly he felt a reverse surge of chakra as her body absorbed it. But noticed that the flow stopped, realizing the mark was doing it. So, he increased how much chakra he was releasing, causing the mark to glow faintly as bits of chakra passed through it.

Crinkling his brow in concentration, he mentally nodded and released as massive a surge as he could, resulting in the two became encased in a dome of loosely swirling chakra. The glow on the mark got brighter and brighter, until it shattered. Almost immediately a set of multiple large wings made of ice appeared on Akitsu's back, glowing brightly before receding.

Once they separated, Akitsu looked at Naruto with a light blush, which was still extremely noticeable on her pale skin, and he gave her a big, toothy grin.

Sighing in satisfaction, Kakashi looked at the group and then spoke to Naruto, "Hey Naruto, why don't you guys get moving to Izumo Inn and rest up. Go ahead and bring them to the training ground tomorrow if you want."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow and asked, "I though a team was only three members?"

"Well, Sekirei count more as summons in this case," he jumped slightly as Hikari zapped him with a light shock, "I'm referring solely to team building, since you guys aren't officially trained shinobi."

Narrowing her eyes and crinkling her eyebrows in frustration, Hikari ultimately sighed with a shrug and said, "Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not insulted."

Just before they left, Musubi let out a yelp, "Now I know where I've seen you two!"

The twins plus Kakashi raised an eyebrow, until the twins lurched back slightly, dearly hoping the overexcited Sekirei wouldn't say anymore, too bad for them.

"You're the two that chased me before I met Naruto!" she said pointing at them.

The two looked at Kakashi with mild fear, who glared lightly at them with long huff. He then sighed and massaged his temple saying, "How many times do I have to tell you two _not_ to hunt unwinged Sekirei?"

The two laughed sheepishly before Hibiki spoke first, "We, we just thought…it would make it easier for us to win the game, that's all. Honest," she finished with a placating gesture.

'_This __is gonna be a long night_,' Kakashi thought with exasperation, he looked at the two sternly, then back to Naruto, "Why don't you guys go on, you'll want to be well rested tomorrow," he ended with an eye smile.

Naruto nodded, picked up Akitsu bridal style and started jumping on the rooftops with Musubi.

* * *

Massaging his temples, Kakashi looked at the Lightning Twins sternly and said, "We'll discuss 'this' later. I've got reports to file, so go home first, and be ready." Without another word he took off.

"Hey Hibiki," Hikari said flatly.

"Yeah, Hikari?"

"We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Uh-huh."

The two sighed in tandem and walked home in a defeated posture.

* * *

Naruto, with the bloodied Akitsu unconscious on his back, walked up to the place on the directions. It was an old fashioned house modeled after the homes used during the warring clans era. Noticing its size and elegance, Naruto couldn't suppress a whistle.

Next, he placed Akitsu down and told Musubi, "Watch over her while I investigate." He got a simple 'Right' in response followed by a silly salute. He nodded with a smile and walked up to the front door.

Taking a breath to calm himself, Naruto knocked lightly on the door several times.

"Coming!" a soft voice called from inside.

Admiring the voice as he heard the shuffling of clothing, Naruto found a sudden boulder in his throat and that temperature seemed to skyrocket as he looked at the owner of the house.

Standing before him was a woman in her late twenties with waist length, straight purple hair, dark purple colored eyes, and fair skin. She had a traditional priestess outfit, with a white top and purple leggings only a few shades darker than her hair. While her appearance was nothing extreme like Musubi, Naruto couldn't help the slight blush on his face as he thought, '_So pretty_.'

The woman looked at him with a slight blush and said happily, "Why thank you."

Naruto's breath hitched again, apparently he hadn't just thought that.

"You know, it's impolite to stare," she said kindly.

Naruto shook his head vigorously to get rid of the thoughts that were certain to form and trying to switch his brain back on, with mild success. He coughed into his fist and said, sheepishly, "Um, hi. I was just wondering…do you, have any vacancies?"

Giggling at his flustered state, the woman said, "Yes, we actually have several. Do you mind telling why you came all the way out here?"

Confused by her question, he cocked an eyebrow and pointed to himself asking, "Don't you know who I am?"

She looked him up and down with her hand on her chin with a curious expression; she then squinted her eyes in a smile and said, "No, should I?"

Hope started fill his features, followed by pain as he said, "I'm, I'm Naruto...Naruto Uzumaki. I'm here because I was kicked out of my last apartment, and absolutely no one else is willing to take me in," he finished with a sigh.

Looking at him curiously, she said, "I wonder why, you seem nice enough."

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and said, "I'm the one they call the 'demon brat', doe that explain it lady?"

She examined him again for a moment then asked, "Are you a demon?"

He just shook his head dumbly.

"Then I see no reason to turn you away," she said sweetly.A large genuine smile filled her face and threatened to split it down the middle.

"My husband always said to help someone in need. Am I to assume you have companions with you?" she asked.

He nodded excitedly and called for Musubi, who was carrying Akitsu.

Spotting the two the landlady's eyes widened momentarily before returning to her passive gaze, followed by a worried expression. "Oh my, what happened to her?"

"She was...attacked by someone," Naruto said, debating how much to tell her, "I can't take her to a hospital either since they likely wouldn't help since she's affiliated with me."

"Well I'm not an expert at medical jutsu, but my late husband taught me a few things, so I'll do what I can. However, she does need a fresh change of clothes," she said ushering them inside.

Naruto froze instantly; he had failed to realize in all the commotion that Akitsu was practically naked. He then slapped his face for being so stupid.

"In any case, storm clouds are gathering, so why don't you all get inside and we'll discuss what to do with her then, along with payment."

Naruto nodded at her words and ushered Musubi inside.

* * *

Up on the rooftops, several ANBU, whose masks were different from either normal ANBU or ROOT members, as they were simple white masks with two eye holes and the Sekirei crest on it, stood watching the exchange. They looked at each other and nodded, with one disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Then it started raining heavily and the remaining member dropped his head, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

* * *

**And there's chapter four. Up next is the bell test, with a twist. Naruto will also meet Uzume and Homura, though I can't decide if Homura should go to Naruto or someone else. I was thinking of being merciful, sort of, compared to his canon counterpart and give him to Sakura, but I'd like to hear any ides you guys have on the subject, I'll make my ultimate decision when I get to that point.**


	5. Genin and Sekirei vs Jonin

Chapter V

**Well, her's chapter five, Naruto starting his stay at Izumo Inn plus the bell test.**

**TheLastNanaya: Not really, I just like to write.**

**Matsu as Kakashi's...WRONG! That's just weird.**

**Not really, he just accidentally said what he was thinking.**

**You and several other people seem to be confused by this. The cloaked man at the end of chapter one is Homura. Those two were spies used by M.B.I. as Naruto equivalents for spy satellites. They aren't Sekirei that's just the pattern on their masks since they work Minaka.**

**I've never liked the gender confused character arc for Homura, just because it's so damn weird. **

**Also there's something a lot of people don't seem to get so I'm going to spell it out right now. I do not understand the vile hatred for Sakura and Sasuke that the two characters get. I understand it a little more for Sasuke, but pretty much all of the evil things he's done were because his mind was being altered by the Curse of Hatred. He was finally able to break free of it in the more recent chapters so let's see how he is now. As for Sakura, yes, in the beginning she was nothing more than a Sasuke fangirl. She straightened up a bit eventually, but everyone still hates her and I can't imagine why. The first person she thought she loved turned on the entire village and tried to kill someone that was thought to be his best friend. So it's natural she'd be confused about how feel about him. Basically, if you want to see any Sasuke or Sakura bashing this isn't the story for you. I'm able to mostly ignore and tolerate it in other stories but it's not going to exist in mine. Sasuke will still betray Naruto like in canon and Sakura is going to straighten up. My idea was for Homura to be part of what causes her to straighten up, to see what happens when someone actually returns her feelings.**

**WOW! Now that my rant is out of the way I'm going to just do a quick response to some other reviewers real quick.**

**RasenShuriken92: I'm not sure what to do about Shiina, I may give him to Sakura and still toss Homura at Naruto, not sure. And yes they will.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: If my rant didn't tell you that was kind of my idea for it. They'll show up eventually. Sekirei in ROOT? That's just dumb. No the Disciplinary Squad will still be affiliated with M.B.I., though I do have a few ideas to change things up a little that I'm gonna think about that could change the story a bit.**

**Okay...with that out of the way don't forget to tell me what you think of the chapter.**

**A/N: I must apologize to everyone and thank one gamelover41592 for reminding me that I forgot something _very_ important with the bell test. Hopefully I got it in time that there wasn't too much damage.**

* * *

Naruto sat in the dining room of Izumo Inn admiring the architecture nervously when the landlady walked in through one of the sliding door.

Seeing her walk in, he said, "Thanks for helping us."

Waving off his thanks she replied, "Don't mention it." She gracefully walked over to the head of the table and sat, never losing the gentle smile on her face. "Like I said, my late husband Takehito never turned away someone in trouble." After a short pause, she asked, "So, if you don't mind me asking, what is your connection to them exactly?"

Naruto flinched at this and gained a cold sweat, trying to come up with a plausible excuse, sputtering the entire time.

Noticing his flustered attitude, she said reassuringly, "Don't bother with a lie, I know about the Sekirei plan."

This caused Naruto to perk up, then to immediately shrink in on himself, "Hey I didn't even say anything, how did you know?"

She just nodded and handed him a cup of tea, which he took with a light bow. "I assumed they were Sekirei upon seeing them," then she brought one sleeve up to her face and giggled lightly, "But seeing your flustered countenance just confirmed it."

Naruto sent her an exasperated glare combined with a twitching eyebrow. His features softened and then dropped when he decided to ask her a question that had been bugging him, "You really don't mind having _me_ stay here?"

She shook her head slowly and attempted to sooth his concerns, "I'm not foolish enough to think that a jinchuuriki is the same as what they hold."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, then he gave his trademark toothy grin and said, "Thanks Landlady!"

Giggling she said, "Just Miya is fine, alright?"

With a thumbs up, he responded, "Got it!"

"What's all this noise?" a lazy and rather drunk sounding voice asked from beyond one of the sliding screen doors.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when a woman with long black hair, two bangs of which framed her drunken looking face, black colored eyes, and a rather pronounced chest wandered in wearing little more than a thin night gown with a mostly empty sake bottle.

Seeing the woman, Miya's expression hardened in annoyance, then she saw the sake bottle and asked, "Kazehana, is that one of my special sake flavors?" more as a veiled threat than a question.

Too drunk to notice the threat behind her words, Kazehana lifted the bottle in confusion by the lack of a label, and then turned it see the label on the other side. She looked at it for a second, her expression showing an intense level of concentration, or as intense as possible when one is heavily inebriated, when a light bulb seemed to have clicked on. Smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head, Kazehana said weakly, "Yyyyeeeaaahhh, I guess so."

It was then that Miya appeared in front of her out of nowhere, took out a ladle she had stashed in a sleeve, how Naruto didn't want to know, and smacked Kazehana firmly across the head, sending the drunken woman tumbling to the floor unconscious. Looking back with a tired sigh, she said to Naruto, "I need to take care of this loafer, Musubi and Akitsu are in the second room on the second floor, you can go check on them if you want," more as a command than a suggestion.

Naruto nodded dumbly as the woman grabbed Kazehana by the ankle and dragged her unceremoniously out the door.

He just sat there with a sweat drop and a weak grin. Clearing his throat to try and dispel the…odd atmosphere that was brought on. He walked over to the stairs and went to the room Miya told him.

* * *

Knocking on the door a couple of times, he waited for Musubi to open the door when she saw him and leapt at him like a cat, knocking the two of them gracelessly to the floor.

"Naruto!" she yipped excitedly, ensuring in said teen's mind that Musubi was in fact, part dog. He was almost sure he saw her ponytail wagging.

He chuckled uncomfortably and said to her, "As much as I…appreciate my current situation," noting how Musubi's chest was pressed against him and how she straddled his leg. Seemingly more by accident than on purpose, if the awkward posture didn't show it, he continued, "Would you please get off, I want to check on Akitsu."

Puffing out her cheeks in displeasure, the excitable Sekirei sat up and huffed.

Seeing her adorable expression, the blonde's first thought was, '_Is it even legal for a face that innocent to be on a body not…so innocent?_'

Noticing her Ashikabi's questioning gaze, Musubi looked at him puzzled and asked, "Is everything okay Naruto?"

Waving his arms wildly in front of him defensively he said excitedly, "No! No! Nothing, I'm fine! Why do you ask, heh heh," he chuckled weakly and noticed her accusing stare and swallowed nervously.

"Okay," she chirped happily and stood up.

'_She is seriously gonna give a heart attack, Nine-tails or not._' Naruto commented.

**"_I'll laugh my ass off if that happens,_"** he deadpanned

_'Go to hell_,' he thought flatly with an outward grimace.

He grimaced further when he heard snickering from the giant fox.

"You okay?" Musubi asked with concern.

Recognizing it for one the expressions he gets when his face emotes what he's thinking during his conversations Kurama, he said, "Yeah I'm fine. I need to go check on Akitsu now."

Pouting, Musubi responded, "Okay."

* * *

In the room, Naruto couldn't suppress the content smile at Akitsu, who was, now that she had been cleaned of all the blood and grime, showing off her light brown hair instead of the tinted orange it originally had been, sleeping peacefully.

"Naruto?" Musubi asked, causing the blonde to jump slightly.

"Y-yeah, Musubi," he said nervously, forgetting she was there.

"Are we going to stay here?" she asked a finger to her lips with worry.

Naruto lightly glared with a twitching eyebrow, but suppressed his groan and said, "Yeah. I just need to work out the details with Miya."

"Yay!" she shouted happily, throwing herself on the blonde, resulting in the two of them tumbling to the floor, again.

Naruto heard a moan beside him and looked, seeing Akitsu had woken up with a slight pouty expression. He chuckled weakly and waved, "Mornin', Akitsu."

She sent him a light glare and said, "Not fair."

He blinked several times and asked, "What isn't?"

She pointed to his current cuddled state.

He chuckled mirthlessly and said, "Oh, this."

She puffed out her cheeks only the tiniest amount and said, "I want to cuddle with Master too."

He blinked several times again and asked, "Master?" pointing to himself. With a barely noticeable smile, she nodded.

Naruto pushed the happily giggling Musubi off and sighed. Then he looked at Akitsu and said seriously, "I don't want you calling me master, okay."

His words and tone made her shrink back a little and she asked with tears edging her soft eyes, "Does master…not want me?"

Naruto cringed, realizing that she was about to cry, and it was his fault. He waved a hand in front of him and said with a mild blush, "No, that's not it at all."

His reassurance cleared her tears and brought a small smile.

Seeing her heightened state, he continued, "It's just weird being called master. So just call me Naruto, kay?"

She nodded slowly but noticeably happy.

Scratching his head with a sigh, he said, "Well you two stay up here for a while, I need to go speak with Miya, hurk!" he curled back seeing that both his Sekirei had_very_ disappointed looks. He sighed in exasperation and said, "You can come."

"Yay!" Musubi jumped excitedly.

Akitsu just stood up and nodded with a lack of emotion.

Naruto looked at them and then screamed when he noticed what Akitsu was wearing, or wasn't technically. All she still had on was her lab coat.

Naruto quickly rushed out the door leaving his Sekirei inside and called Miya.

* * *

The landlady slowly and gracefully made her way up the stairs with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright Naruto?"

He nodded tiredly and said, "Yeah, except one thing."

Miya quirked an eyebrow and motioned him to continue.

Naruto laughed uncomfortably and asked, "Can, uh…can Akitsu…can Akitsu borrow some of your clothes?"

Miya squinted her eyes and smiled sweetly; though Naruto noticed instantly this smile despite appearing sweet was in fact, very dangerous. "You weren't doing anything lewd were you?" she asked hiding her mouth behind her sleeve.

Naruto paled and waved his arms wildly, "No, no! I wouldn't dream of it!"

Her smile seemed to return to a not so dangerously sweet level and she said simply, "Of course, Akitsu can borrow whatever she needs until you buy some more."

Hearing what she said Naruto cringed, then replied, "I…I can't buy her more."

Miya looked at puzzled and asked, "Why not?"

He laughed mirthlessly and said, "No one will sell anything to me because of the Nine-tails."

Her face became thoughtful for a moment then she said, "Are you sure?"

He gave a sad smile and answered, "Yeah. They'll either kick me out, refuse to sell me anything, or sell it at extreme markups. It hasn't been an issue until now. But now I've got three people to take care of and no way to get anything."

Bringing her hand to her chin she said with a smile, "I make weekly shopping trips, if you make a list I'll get you what you need."

He gave a big smile and asked, "Seriously?!"

She nodded in return.

"Thank you! I'll figure out how to repay you for sure, ya know!" he said pumping his fist.

Miya blinked for a moment and said, "Ya know?"

Naruto looked at embarrassed and said, "Sorry, it's something I've done since I was little whenever I get excited."

Miys just giggled behind her sleeve, "I think it's adorable."

"That's the problem," he responded flatly. "I'm a guy; I'm supposed to be cool or handsome, not adorable or cute. It seriously cuts into my manhood," he finished with a sigh.

Her sickeningly sweet smile returning, Miya said, "I would appreciate it if you kept mentions of your manhood outside of Izumo Inn. After all, my two main rules are no violence and no lewd acts."

"Huh what I didn't even-uh never mind then" Naruto said hurriedly as he inched towards the stairs. He then stopped and asked, "Actually, that reminds me. How much is the rent here?"

* * *

Inside the seal, Kurama face palmed. **"Isn't that the first thing you should ask brat?"**

* * *

Miya looked at him and said, "Forty thousand a month."

Naruto looked at her in utter shock, "Y-you're kidding."

Shaking her head slowly she said, "No. As long as you can follow my simple rules and do not cause trouble, forty thousand a month is all it takes."

Naruto clenched his fists in excitement and said, "You have no idea how much I want to hug you right now!"

Miya gave her all-too-sweet smile coupled with a laugh and an oppressive aura and asked, "My my, you wouldn't be trying to come on to an old widow would you?"

"Uh why do you expect the worse things from me" Naruto's replied trying to ignore her aura as he slumped his head and shoulders and said, "I don't have time for this. I'm gonna go to my room and unpack my things."

Miya looked at curiously and pondered, "How, you don't have any suitcases?"

Naruto immediately stood up straight with a big grin and said, "Watch."

He pulled out a scroll from his pocket that said 'transportation' on it, unrolled it and channeled chakra into one of the seals. One puff of smoke later and another scroll appeared with 'furniture' written on it. He opened it and channeled chakra into it and out popped an alarm clock.

Miya looked at him in astonishment, "I had no idea you were so good with seals," she said with a squinted smile.

He gave her a foxy grin and said, "It's just one of the things I learned over the years. Gotta learn how to pick up and go in a rush."

She eyed him with curiosity again and asked, "You've only been a ninja for a day or two, why would you need to be so concerned with that?"

His mirthless smile made another appearance when he said, "The villagers always try and beat the crap outta me when they get the chance. So eventually I learned how to use storage seals to pack up whatever I had and get moving quickly to avoid a beating."

Miya looked at him with a sad expression, not feeling the need to say a word.

Naruto shrugged and said, "Well, that's all in the past now." He pointed to his headband and said, "I'm full-fledged ninja now, so they'll get in trouble if they attack me."

Not leaving time for a response he rushed into his room. Miya looked at his door for a couple more seconds before making her way downstairs.

* * *

Naruto leaned against the door with a sigh and said, "That was starting to get uncomfortable." He looked into the room and saw Musubi in the process of changing and Akitsu still in her lab coat. He face palmed and muttered, "Seriously?"

* * *

The next day, Naruto plus Musubi and Akitsu made their way to training ground seven by roof hopping.

Akitsu had finally found an outfit she liked. It was a white kimono with a slightly shorter than normal skirt, that hung low on her shoulders and wide on her chest. She had a black obi around her waist and chains on it that held the different parts of her outfit together.

Including one chain that went around her neck and into her cleavage, which attached to the waist of her kimono. Naruto had spent some quality time with Miya explaining that particular fashion choice.

It wasn't until Akitsu walked in and said a simple, "I like them," that Miya finally dropped the subject. Though she still sent the odd dirty look at the blonde jinchuriki.

* * *

Finally arriving at training ground seven, Naruto and his Sekirei approached a group of training posts where Sasuke and Sakura sat waiting.

Hearing footsteps and seeing Naruto, Sakura got up to begin berating the blonde, "Hey idiot,….you're…late…" she trailed off getting Sasuke's attention.

He looked at her mildly curious and followed her gaze. At first all he saw was the blonde and prepared to give his usual response, when he noticed the two beauties walking beside him. Seeing them, he felt himself get intensely angry at the blonde.

He then immediately though, '_Wait, why am I so angry? Am I…? No, I'm an Uchiha! I have no reason to be jealous of anyone._' He then looked at Naruto's Sekirei and thought, '_Though if I did, that'd be a pretty good reason.'_

The whole group covered their ears as Sakura shrieked. "Hey Naruto, who the hell are they?!"

Cleaning out his ear, Naruto looked at her disgruntled and said, "Friends."

Glaring daggers, she pressed the issue, "Okay, then why are they _here_?"

Looking at them then back to Sakura several times, he shrugged and said, "They're kinda like summons."

At that point Sasuke got irritated and a little suspicious, '_Damn, he suddenly gets smarter, stronger, and better at jutsu, and now this. Where the hell is the loser pulling all these tricks from? I'm an Uchiha, those talents should be mine, not some blonde halfwit's._'

Feeling a small amount of killing intent, Naruto turned around to see Sasuke glaring at him. Blinking several times, Naruto pulled on the lower lid of one and stuck out his tongue at the raven-haired loner. _That_ made Sasuke get visibly agitated.

Naruto suddenly felt and blunt pain on his head as Sakura yelled at him "What'd you do to Sasuke, stupid?"

Hearing her master get insulted, Musubi stood up and pointed an accusatory finger at Sakura and said, "Naruto is _not_ stupid!"

Sakura just leered and said, "Oh, and how would you know?"

Musubi glared at her for a couple seconds and then put a finger on her chin and looked at the sky. Then she said, "Dunno."

All three genin thought on similar lines. Naruto, '_So cute!'_

Sasuke thought, '_I suddenly have the uncontrollable urge to strangle that loser.'_

Sakura thought, '_Oh no! I can't let her look cuter than me; I _must _win Sasuke's heart! Not this big-breasted bimbo. Wait, big-breasted?'_ Sakura looked down subtly and started crying anime tears.

Suddenly a burst of smoke erupted in the middle of the field, revealing Kakashi, lazy as always. He looked at the group and said, "Yo!"

Sakura, still blushing from her perceived loss found this a perfect distraction and pointed at Kakashi while yelling, "You're late sensei!"

"Am I? Sorry. I had to help an old lady cross the road, but then a mirror broke in front of me and I had to take the long way around."

Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Akitsu, and Musubi all thought the same thing, '_That was pathetic_.'

"Anyway, it's time for the test to begin," he pulled out two silver bells that jingled when they left his pocket. "Your goal is to get one of these bells within three hours, and whoever doesn't get one has to go back to the academy," he said with an eye smile.

"WHAT!?" all three genin shouted.

"Kakashi sensei, you can't be serious," Sakura pleaded.

Kakashi looked at her seriously and said, "Dead serious."

Sakura then continued to speak, "But there're only two bells, meaning one of us is going back to the academy." Sakura suddenly got a sly grin and looked at Musubi, '_This is perfect! If I can get a bell then stupid Naruto will get kicked off the team! And with him the bimbo too! Cha!'_

Seeing her grin, Kakashi muttered, "Oh boy."

Sasuke smirked however, '_This is my perfect chance to prove to that loser how weak he really is.'_

Naruto was deep in thought however, much to Kakashi's surprise. Suddenly, something clicked. Naruto looked at his Sekirei who nodded, seemingly understanding what he meant without speaking.

Kakashi walked over and set a timer on one of the stumps. He looked at the group and noticed Naruto's knowing grin, '_He couldn't have figured it out, could he?_' Ignoring his thought, he spoke to the group, "Alright, you have three hours. Begin!"

Sasuke and Sakura attempted to jump away but before they could, Naruto called to his Sekirei, "Musubi, Akitsu!" Not even realizing what was going on, Sakura and Sasuke soon found themselves being hoisted into the air.

Kakashi just stared at them and blinked, '_Maybe he did.'_

* * *

Off in the tree line, Naruto and his Sekirei, who were carrying the other two, landed, dropping the two soon-to-be genin.

Both turned around to yell at the blonde, but he put his finger up in a 'sshh' gesture. Sakura looked at Sasuke for an answer; he looked at her and shrugged.

"What're you up to loser?" he asked suspicious and annoyed.

Momentarily glaring at Sasuke, Naruto said, "Doesn't this test seem weird to you guys?"

They each raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"What's your point idiot?" Sakura asked, insultingly.

Musubi was ready to attack, but was being held back by an emotionless Akitsu.

Naruto looked at Sakura and asked, "Sakura, what's the normal setup for a genin team."

Looking up in thought, Sakura responded, "Three genin and a jounin, why?"

Pointing up like an instructor, Naruto said, "Think about it, why make a test that basically destroys that same, almost religious, structure."

"Hn to drop dead weight?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

Sakura just beamed at his words and thought, '_That's it! Tell him Sasuke! Cha!'_

Naruto deftly suppressed his anger to a twitching eyebrow. "That's not the point," he said through grit teeth. He sighed and asked, "What's the most important thing for a shinobi team?"

Each had their own answer. "Power," Sasuke said.

"Plenty of supplies?" Sakura asked more than answered.

Naruto hung his head in dismay, '_Kurama, I don't know how much longer I can take this.'_

**"_Give the word and I'll fry the Uchiha brat._" **Kurama replied with enthusiasm.

'_Right, how 'bout no.'_Naruto said.

Wiping the irritation from his face, Naruto said bluntly, "No. It's teamwork."

The two teens each raised an eyebrow, Naruto rapped his head against a tree, Musubi and Akitsu just looked confused.

Sighing, Naruto explained, "Okay, think about it like this. What's the point in having a powerful team, like Sasuke said, or a well-prepared team, like Sakura said, if they can't work together?"

That seemed to do it as the proverbial light bulb kicked on.

Naruto smiled, feeling triumphant for the first time in a while.

Snorting, Sasuke said, "I suppose you have plan, loser?"

Naruto grinned, "Yes actually."

* * *

Out in the training field Kakashi was reading his book when he looked up and said, "It's been awfully quiet for a while. I wonder what they're up to."

Kakashi was brought out of his musings when a whistling sound made itself known. He turned around and jumped back in time to dodge several spikes made of ice.

"Ice? Must be Akitsu," he said to himself remembering her winging.

Right at that moment, the whole group, minus the Sekirei, ran out from tree cover behind Kakashi.

Realizing this, Kakashi said quietly, "A diversion?! They seem to understand the basics," he said with an audible smile.

As they ran, Sasuke made several hand signs, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he called as he spit a fireball that split into several.

Next was Naruto who made hand signs and called his attack, "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!" Naruto spit several good sized blasts of wind that hit the fireballs, sped them up and made them bigger.

Kakashi's eye went wide as a dinner plate, '_They using different chakra natures in tandem?'_

Seeing his predicament, Kakashi made several signs of his own. "Water Style: Water Bullets," he called calmly, shooting moderately sized blasts of water at the fireballs.

His eye went comically wide at that point. He was surprised enough that they could use elemental jutsu, surprised even more when they combined two elements that worked perfectly together, but he thought this was ridiculous. Inside the fireballs the entire time were dozens of shuriken that Kakashi was just barely able to dodge.

He reacted instinctively when he heard a jingle. He shifted his weight to the left and kneed Naruto in the chest, shocked when what kicked wasn't just a shadow clone, but an exploding shadow clone.

Sighing, Kakashi said, "If this kid gives me anymore surprises, I'll probably keel over, hah!" he felt two hands grab his shoulders and instinctually spun around to swat away his would be attacker, only raise an eyebrow when no one was there.

That distracted him long enough for Akitsu to freeze his feet to the ground, resulting in a quiet, "Uh-oh," from the spiky haired jonin. He turned around and nearly fainted. He saw two wispy arms made of chakra race towards him, grab the bells, and toss them in the air for Musubi to catch.

Calming his heart rate, Kakashi said, "Well, looks like you got me, mind unfreezing me?" he asked.

Akitsu looked at Naruto who nodded. She waved her hand and the ice became a puddle at Kakashi's feet.

Looking at the grinning group and deciding to go for one more test, he asked the blonde, "Now that you have the bells, who will you send back to the academy?"

Their joviality stopped as Naruto became thoughtful, Sakura became frantic, and Sasuke got irritated.

Looking at the jounin, then the bells, the back the jounin several times. Naruto raised an eyebrow and said with a shrug and a sad smile, "Hey Musubi, give me the bells."

Confused, the excitable Sekirei complied and deposited the bells in her master's hands.

Looking at him curiously, Kakashi prodded one more time, "Well?"

Naruto looked from the bells to his comrades and said, "I'll go."

Everyone froze immediately.

Akitsu looked at Naruto and asked, "Are you certain?"

Naruto just winked at her in response, greatly confusing the ice Sekirei.

Seeing this, Kakashi eye smiled and said, "You all…pass."

Naruto's grin turned into a full-blown smile as Sakura gave a hopeful laugh and Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi looked at them and coughed into his hand, then told them, "You see, this test was designed to test your ability to work as a team. But mine is a bit unorthodox, mainly because it forces you into a situation shinobi face almost every day."

Sakura looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's that?"

With an eye smile he answered, "The situation where you must choose between the success of the mission, and your comrades. An old friend of mine once told me something. In the shinobi world, those who fail their missions are scum."

Everyone, including the Sekirei, got a pouty and irritated expression in response.

Lowering his head and closing his eyes in memory, Kakashi finished, "But those who could abandon even one of their friends are even worse than scum. So you all passed, because your friends took greater importance than the objective. Now come on, I've got some things to do."

* * *

The group then headed back to the village when Kakashi asked Naruto, "So, when did you figure it out?"

Looking at the silver-haired man and grinning, he said, "Not completely until the end, but got the idea right in the beginning."

Kakashi eye smiled and thought, '_You would be proud sensei.'_

* * *

**And there's chapter five. The next bit is going to be the arc centering around Kusano during team seven's D-rank missions. After that is the Wave Arc. Don't forget to tell me what you think about the chapter or the story as a whole so far.**


	6. Konohamaru and Another Bird

Chapter VI

**And here's another chapter, I just seem to be belting them out. One thing I want to mention is that several people pointed out that during the bell test, one of Naruto's Sekirei would've attacked Sakura normally. I have to apologize and say it was a simple oversight. Now for reviewer responses.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: It's fine, I can see how the mistake would be made. No, those ANBU have no connection to ROOT. M.B.I. and ROOT would technically be at odds because Minaka believes the Sekirei should find their Ashikabis on their own. Danzo sees them as just weapons and would bond them to himself to keep them loyal. I'll give you a minute to clean that mental image. Done? Good, moving on. I hope you don't mind that I stole your idea for Kusano and Tora, though it's still technically up in the air who Ku's ashikabi will be, I'm getting close to a decision.**

**TheLastNanaya: Refer to to first line. As for hating Sakura as a genin, as impartial as I am towards her, yeah she's about as useful as a bump on a log, but I've got a couple ideas that'll make her get a bit useful faster. I'm thinking no, the Sahashi's are pretty much nonexistant, though that does mean I need a replacement for Takami. I've got a couple ideas but several chapters before I need to decide. I was thinking of doing that, and in fact making Sakura the only female Ashikabi I can think of with multiple Sekirei.**

**Jose19: If he were working alone yes, but without spoiling let's just say he's not organizing this whole Sekire Plan by himself. I won't say who right now but you'll find out eventually.**

**A/N: a user named Demon Eyes KyoS told me that Kusano used her powers just out of the blue. At first I didn't believe him but checked just to be sure. And strangely enough the entire bit where Ku shows her powers is just gone. I checked the copy on my computer and it's perfectly fine so I'm not sure what that's about.**

* * *

In a dense forest near the Hidden Leaf Village, several blurs hopped through the trees. A small shadow ran through the forest, the blurs hot on its trail. One jumped at it and face planted, hard.

Eventually the shadow ducked into a gap in the trees and the three shadows stopped.

"This is Naruto, target lost," he spoke into a small radio on his ear.

A sigh was heard from the other end, "Fan out and search the area, locate and secure the target."

All three blurs said, "Right!" and jumped away.

* * *

Naruto hopped along the tree line, searching for their target. He stopped when he heard a faint sound. He channeled chakra into his ears and heard what sounded like a child crying. Trying to decide between that lost child and their target didn't take long and Naruto took off in the child's direction.

Stopping periodically and looking around Naruto cursed under his breath and said, "If I don't finish this quick Kakashi sensei is gonna kill me." He heard the crying more clearly right then and jumped down, finding a small blonde haired girl in a white dress holding a grey cat with a bell around its neck.

Seeing the cat, Naruto twitched an eyebrow and put a finger to his headset, "This is Naruto, I found the target, and something…else."

"What do you mean by 'else' Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Chuckling, Naruto responded, "You'll uh, see when you get here. I'm gonna be out of contact for a bit."

Pausing for a moment, Kakashi said, "Alright. Sasuke, Sakura, meet up on Naruto's position."

Looking at the girl and the cat, Naruto scratched at his head and said, "Great, this is just weird."

He walked forward slowly so as to not frighten the girl.

Pointless as the girl noticed him and immediately scuttled backwards into a crevice.

Sighing, Naruto crouched down low and said softly, "Come here, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The girl looked at him doubtfully for a moment before slowly standing up and walking equally slowly over to him, all while still carrying the cat.

Naruto put his hand out for her to shake and asked kindly, "I'm Naruto, what about you?"

Looking at him shyly, she put her hand in his and said timidly, "I'm Kusano, but you can call me Ku."

Naruto gave her a soft smile when he heard the telltale signs of his team coming close.

* * *

They hopped down in the small clearing behind him, scaring Kusano back on her behind, but never loosening her grip on the cat.

Kakashi blinked a couple times trying to assess the situation, then he pointed at the girl and asked, "Is this the 'else' you were referring too?"

Naruto chuckled lightly and said, "Yeah, this is it. Her name's Kusano, my guess is she's lost."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Probably, we should take her to the Hokage tower just in case," Kakashi then looked around and asked, "Where're Musubi and Akitsu?"

Naruto got an exasperated expression with several hairs sticking out randomly and said with a sigh, "Crap." He turned to Kakashi and said, "Think you could take her, I've got to make sure those two haven't gotten themselves hurt."

Kakashi nodded and knelt down to get the girl, but she eeped and bolted behind Naruto's leg, peering out slightly. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle and said, "I don't think she likes me."

Naruto sighed and asked, "Ku, I've got to look for some people. And since you won't drop Tora I can't take you with me."

Kusano gained a sad expression and said, "But I like kitty."

Sakura glared at her and said, "Too bad!" She reached down to grab Tora, but when she did, Kusano screamed in fright, causing several thick vines to shoot out of the ground and hoist Sakura into the air. Looking around Sakura started to freak out, "What the hell!?"

Naruto and Kakashi shared a look and Kakashi nodded.

Naruto face palmed and muttered, "Great, another Sekirei. But I don't think she has an Ashikabi." He looked at the cowering girl and then to Sakura and said, "Hey Ku, could let her down, pretty please?"

Looking at him slightly afraid she nodded and the vines released the pinkette, causing her land on the ground hard.

She was about to hit her when Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She crossed her arms and huffed.

Sighing again Naruto scratched his head in thought when something hit him like a proverbial brick. Naruto snapped his fingers and said, "Hey Ku, think you can hold Tora up so I can see her belly?"

Kusano looked confused but complied.

Sasuke watched him and asked, "What are you going to do loser?"

Naruto just gave him a toothy grin and said, "Just watch." He pulled out a scroll and unsealed the contents, a brush and an ink well. Naruto bit his thumb and mixed a little of his blood with the ink and stirred it. "Okay, Tora's probably gonna squirm so hold her still."

Intrigued, Kusano just nodded.

Naruto then started drawing something on the cat's stomach, getting confused looks from everybody. After he finished his rather complex seal, he made half a hand sign and it faded away. He looked at Kusano and said, "Alright Ku, let Tora go."

Everyone gasped and Kusano held the cat tighter.

Sakura yelled and tried to hit him, "What the hell stupid!" she 'tried' because instead of hitting his head she hit a very solid wall of ice. She then huddled in a corner nursing her bruised hand.

Naruto looked up and saw an obliviously happy Musubi and an emotionless Akitsu, "Hey girls, 'bout time." They nodded and Naruto turned back to Kusano and said, "Okay Ku, I need you to trust me, go ahead and let Tora go."

Disappointed, Kusano nodded sadly and let the cat go, it immediately bolted.

Sasuke face palmed and said, "Great loser, now I know you're an idiot."

Naruto just grinned and pulled out a piece of paper with a seal on it. He placed his hand on it and said, "Summoning Jutsu!" resulting a large poof of smoke.

Kakashi got wide eyed and Sasuke got confused, both expressions became more pronounced when the smoke cleared, revealing a very confused and disoriented Tora, who was immediately snatched up by a smiling Kusano.

Sasuke tried to hide his surprise and asked, "How'd you do that loser?"

Naruto looked at him and said, "That seal was a summoning contract."

Kakashi's eye nearly popped out of its socket in surprise. '_How did he get so good with seals_?' he thought.

Sakura looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "Won't it just wash off."

Naruto gave her a confident look and responded, "No, I mixed it with my blood and bound and hid it with chakra, so that way it won't wash away or be noticed by others."

Kakashi let out a small whistle and said, "That's pretty smart. Anyway let's go to the Hokage's tower, why don't you do that little trick for him too?" Kakashi finished with a somehow devious eye smile.

"Sure," Naruto responded with an equally devious regular smile.

The two of them then chuckled darkly with shadows over their eyes, greatly frightening Kusano, who dropped Tora and then screamed while running after her, and confusing the others.

* * *

A short time later, Kakashi's group plus a depressed Kusano arrived in the Hokage's mission room.

The Hokage looked at them but then quirked an eyebrow when he didn't see Tora. He heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Don't tell me you gave up."

Kakashi shook his head, "Not exactly. Naruto," he said motioning to the blonde.

Naruto walked up with a grin and placed a piece of paper on the floor and summoned Tora with a puff of smoke.

Hiruzen and Iruka, who was helping the Hokage sort out missions, nearly fell out of their chairs.

"H-how?" Iruka asked in disbelief.

Kakashi eye smiled and said, "Naruto placed a summoning seal on her, so we can summon her whenever we want; makes this mission nice and simple. Of course the seal only responds to Naruto's blood and therefore only he can use it."

"I see," the Third replied stroking his beard. He looked wearily at Kusano and asked, "Who's she?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and said sheepishly, "That's the thing, we don't know really. We just found her in the forest and she was glued to Naruto."

Sighing again, Hiruzen said, "I see, hm?" He looked up curiously when a child bolted through the door and ran at him.

"Prepare to lose old man!" a young child with a long blue scarf, and a grey helmet-like object on his head. He prepared to throw his wooden shuriken when he noticed Kusano and tripped over his scarf, landing face first with a loud 'thud'.

Everyone cringed slightly as the kid landed hard on his face.

"Ow, ow, ow, ooww," he repeated, rubbing his sore nose. He looked at Kusano and got a light blush when someone burst into the room.

"Honorable grandson! What are you doing!?" a man in a black outfit, a black bandana and round black glasses with a deep voice said in shock. The man took notice of Naruto and pushed his glasses up his nose and asked, "What's _he_ doing here?" spitting the word 'he' like poison.

Naruto gave the man light glare but was stopped by Kakashi putting his hand on his shoulder.

Sighing again, Hiruzen said, "'He' just got back from a mission."

Naruto looked down at the kid and walked over to him, getting a cringe from the black dressed man, and asked him "Hey kid, you alright?"

The boy huffed and said, "I'm fine. I don't need _you_ worrying about me."

A vein popping in his head, Naruto grabbed the boy by the collar and snarled, "And what's so bad about 'me', huh?"

The boy was completely frightened by the small amount of killer intent Naruto was releasing subconsciously.

"Unhand him beast! He is the honorable grandson of the Third Hokage!" the weird man yelled.

Naruto squinted at the boy and raised an eyebrow.

The boy grinned with a righteous chuckle and said, "What now, you aren't gonna hit me because the Hokage's my grandpa, just like everyone else."

Everyone, minus Naruto, the boy, Kusano, and the weirdo thought, '_Bad move_.'

Naruto scowled at the boy and yelled, "I don't care if he's your grandmother!" then immediately hit him square on the head.

The weirdo prepared to charge and yelled, "You damn beast!" but was immediately stopped when a hand grabbed him firmly at the base of the neck while his feet were frozen in place. He looked forward to see Akitsu in front of him with ice crystals swirling around her hand, then behind him to see Musubi glaring while grabbing him at a pressure point, effectively paralyzing him until she let go.

Seeing this, the boy could only say, "Wow!"

Kakashi thought with a cold sweat, '_I didn't even see them move, I'd hate to be the receiving end of those two in a serious fight.'_

Naruto grinned at the strange man and then said, "Alright girls, let him go."

"Understood," Akitsu said, thawing his feet.

"Right," Musubi said with her scowl turned into a smile as she released the man, who crumpled to the floor like a stack of books.

The boy then looked at Naruto in amazement and asked, "Can you do that?"

"I can do what Musubi did, but not what Akitsu did with her ice," Naruto responded with a shrug.

The boy's face beamed and he said, "Teach me!"

Naruto just blinked once, twice, "Huh?"

"I asked you to teach me, I wanna be that good," he said with a bright smile.

Naruto immediately became disheveled and said, "Sorry kid, I'm not much for teaching."

The boy persisted however, "Aw come on! If you're that good, teaching should be easy. And it's Konohamaru."

"What is?" he asked.

"My name, it's Konohamaru."

"Oh," Naruto said, then sighed. "Look Konohamaru, I'm good but I don't think I can or have time to teach you. I've got my missions to do."

Musubi raised a finger and said, "What about your shadow clone thing."

Naruto gave her a mild glare and grunted, ""Not, helping."

Konohamaru then waved to Naruto, requesting to speak quietly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but knelt down and put a hand to his ear.

Konohamaru then said quietly, "Besides, I want to look cool for that girl over there."

Naruto pulled back a little with shit-eating grin and said with exaggerated gestures, "Weeellll, if _that's_ your reason, I _could_ make a little time to help."

Konohamaru had stars in his eyes, "You mean it!?"

Naruto gave him a wide grin.

"Never! I would never allow the honorable grandson to be tainted by that beast!" the man yelled, having finally regained his motor functions, only to lose them again when Musubi hit him on the head.

Konohamaru stuck his tongue out at the man and said, "You suck Ebisu-sensei! At least with boss I'll learn some real jutsu."

The now named Ebisu just laid in a pile on the floor and grumbled something about demon brats.

Kakashi coughed to get Naruto's attention, then told him, "We don't have any more missions today so why don't you go train with Konohamaru, I can finish the rest here."

Naruto nodded then turned to Kusano and said, "Wanna come with us Ku?"

Kusano nodded happily and jumped on his back with a giggle.

Konohamaru looked at his own back and sighed.

* * *

Later, the trio was at training ground seven when Naruto looked at Konohamaru and said, "Okay, the first thing I need to know is how far you are in the academy."

Konohamaru thought for a minute and said, "We just started learning about catra."

Looking disheveled again, Naruto said, "Chakra."

"Huh?" Konohamaru asked, completely confused.

"It's called chakra, not catra," Naruto said like explaining the most basic thing of ninjutsu to a child, which he was.

Konohamaru put his hand behind his head and laughed in embarrassment and said, "Oh, oops."

Naruto sighed again and said to Konohamaru, "Next, how much has four-eyes taught you?"

Konohamaru asked, "Who's that?"

Naruto shrugged with a chuckle and said, "It's my personal nickname for Ebisu."

"Ooohhh," Konohamaru looked down at the ground with glare and a huff and said, "He hasn't taught me anything. Just geography, politics, and other stupid stuff like that."

_That_ got Naruto's attention and asked, "Why is he teaching you _that_?"

Konohamaru huffed again and said, "He says it's preparation for being Hokage. But I don't wanna learn that stuff, I wanna learn cool jutsu. Ebisu sensei says learning from him is the shortcut to Hokage."

Naruto released a heavy laugh and rubbed his nose and asked, "He did, did he? Look kid, I got bad news for you, there _isn't_ a shortcut to being Hokage."

Konohamaru gave him a puzzled look, "How do you know that?"

Naruto chuckled and gave a wide, fox-like grin and said, "Cuz' I wanna be Hokage too. There's no shortcut to it either, you gotta work hard, train hard, and learn hard to be Hokage. It takes blood, sweat and tears, not some pathetic excuse for a sensei giving you orders."

Konohamaru was in awe by that point, "So then, can you help me get there?"

"I'll help you a little, but too much and you'll get the title before me, can't have that can we? Well, let's get started, I assume four-eyes has at least taught you basic chakra control?"

Konohamaru nodded and their training began.

* * *

The training consisted mainly of chakra control exercises, specifically tree climbing, and only lasted a couple hours as Konohamaru sprawled out exhausted on the ground afterward.

"Geez kid, didn't think you sputter out so quick," Naruto said while leaning against a tree with a lopsided grin.

Looking up from his sprawled position, Konohamaru failed at an attempt to glare at the blonde and said, "Come on…boss. This…stuff is…hard. Plus my…body is…sore from…falling."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Yup, mine was too. This stuff is hard, but you should be able to do it."

"No…way. I'm…too…tired," he said between huffs.

Naruto rubbed his chin and hummed in thought, then looked at Kusano with a conniving grin.

Seeing his grin, Kusano immediately ran to a tree and huddled down with big, worried eyes.

Naruto gave her a nicer smile and asked, "Hey Ku, could you make a medium sized tree?"

Looking at him with light confusion, she nodded uneasily and put a hand on the ground. A faint green light emitted from the ground in front of her and a large green tree shot out of the ground.

Naruto looked at Konohamaru with a leer and said, "Now come on Konohamaru, Ku made this tree specially for you, you won't disappoint her by not climbing it will you?"

Konohamaru shot up and pointed at Naruto with vexation and yelled, "You're evil!"

Naruto grinned slyly and pointed at the tree.

Konohamaru grumbled and pumped chakra into his legs and ran at the tree.

He got about a third of the way up when a voice broke his concentration, sending him to the ground with a 'thud'.

"Honorable grandson!" Ebisu called in a fury as he ran to the group. Seeing Konohamaru on the ground dirtied and bruised, Ku cowering against a tree and Naruto grinning madly, he assumed the worst. "You fiend! Prepare for my wrath!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow as Ebisu lunged at him.

His face became annoyed and Naruto didn't move as a blue chakra arm sprouted from his back and lunged at Ebisu, socking him right in the jaw. "You don't really think you can beat me, do you?" he asked flatly.

Standing up while nursing his bruised jaw, Ebisu scowled and said, "Listen here you beast. I will not tolerate yo-AAAAAHHHHH!" His speech was cutoff when Musubi grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed it with a scowl.

Musubi glared at him with vindication and said, "You will NOT insult Naruto that way. I tolerate it from his teammate because he calls her a friend. But I won't stand by while you attack my Ashikabi."

Naruto could feel her emotions through the mental bond and was astounded at the pure rage she had. It made him feel strangely happy, that someone was so angered by him being insulted. Without realizing it, he cracked a smile.

Ebisu glared back at the incensed Sekirei and managed to force out, "You! You _dare_ defend that demon?"

At that point, Musubi gained a tick mark and tossed Ebisu off to the horizon. Only for Ebisu to turn into smoke.

Standing nearby on a tree, Ebisu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, "Please, did you really expect me fall for the same move twice?"

He jumped down, looked at Naruto and declared, "I will defeat you and rescue the honorable grandson!"

Musubi got ready to act but stopped when Naruto put his hand up with a serious expression. Disappointed, Musubi nodded and stood back placid.

Naruto looked at Ebisu and said, "Look four-eyes, I've got a bone to pick with you."

With a snicker, Ebisu said, "Oohh, I'm so scared."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto said, "You've been telling Konohamaru this whole time that you know the shortcut to being Hokage."

Performing his normal gesture, Ebisu said, "Of course, because I do. Learning from me, he will reach that goal in exceptional time."

Naruto snickered a bit, eventually transferring into a full blown laugh with his head thrown back as well. Then he glared at Ebisu and yelled, "Do you take me for a fool!?"

At the blonde's sudden conviction Ebisu curled back.

"There is no easy path to Hokage! The only way to get there is the path of the true shinobi, to persevere and fight to the top with hard work!" he said with confidence and conviction.

Musubi suddenly felt herself heating up while watching him.

Ebisu scoffed and said, "What would _you_ know about hard work?"

Naruto's fists clenched and he hollered, "That's it! I've had it with you people! This is my hard work at fruition!"

Ebisu honestly reeled back in fear as the blonde charged at amazing speeds. Ebisu reacted immediately and jumped into the air.

Naruto followed and put his hand into a cup shape. As he did, chakra started to collect and swirl in his hands.

Ebisu looked in shock and said, "Impossible! That's the-"

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as a ball of swirling chakra formed in his hand and thrust it at Ebisu's stomach. The Rasengan tore Ebisu's shirt and mesh to ribbons and ground at his skin, twisting and gnarling it. Naruto then released the jutsu and it exploded outwards, sending them both flying. Naruto landed on the ground perfectly fine.

Ebisu crashed with a loud thud.

Konohamaru was in awe at what he just saw. His sensei, who constantly told him how powerful he was, was just thrashed. Which meant Ebisu was either pathetic, or Naruto was extremely powerful. Konohamaru immediately went with the second choice.

* * *

Konohamaru ran up to Naruto along with Kusano and both jumped and cheered. "Big brother Naruto, that was awesome!"

Naruto looked at him slightly confused, "Big brother?"

Konohamaru nodded energetically, "You're so cool, so I want you to be my big brother and teach me how to be awesome too."

Naruto sighed in exasperation; he had honestly hoped that was a one-time event. He scratched his cheek and asked, "You sure?"

Konohamaru nodded and Kusano hopped at him, "Me too, me too!"

"Alright, alright, yeesh," Naruto said with a placating motion.

* * *

Musubi and Akitsu walked over to the limp Ebisu and Musubi tapped him lightly with her foot. When he twitched she ducked behind Akitsu.

Akitsu turned around to Musubi and asked, "Should we get rid of him?"

Musubi put her finger to chin in thought and then nodded.

* * *

Out in the village, Kakashi was walking down the road when he heard screaming. He looked up to see Ebisu flying like a missile. Putting his hand up to block the sun, he followed Ebisu's path with his eyes.

"Hmmmm…he went pretty far, I'd give it an eight out of ten" Kakashi said lazily while he was walking away.

* * *

After another short training stint with Konohamaru and Kusano, Naruto and his Sekirei prepared to walk home when Kusano grabbed his sleeve. He looked down and saw her worried expression.

He was about ask her what was wrong when a rather effeminate boy with silver hair ran up to them and called, "Ku! Ku!"

Kusano turned around and ran to the boy and said, "Big brother!" and enveloped him in a big hug.

Naruto smiled contently and looked to his Sekirei and said, "I think she'll be fine. Come on, let's go."

Musubi and Akitsu nodded as they left.

* * *

The group arrived at Izumo Inn shortly thereafter.

Soon after they arrived, while Naruto was in the living room watching television with Akitsu and Musubi, he heard someone come in.

"Miya! I'm home!" the voice called.

After another few seconds, a young woman with waist length brown hair tied into a short ponytail on one side, wearing a purple tee with a star on the chest and tight capris jeans walked in. The first thing Naruto noticed, much to his dismay, was her large chest, causing him to blush.

The girl noticed him and said, "Oh, you must be the new tenant. I'm Uzume."

Naruto nodded dumbly, with the blush still present, and said, "Yeah, I'm Naruto."

His Sekirei could feel his lust through the bond and glared at him, though Akitsu's normally emotionless face had the eyebrows move down ever so slightly.

Naruto sputtered once he felt their irritation and tried to calm them.

Uzume couldn't suppress a giggle and thought, '_He's gonna be so much fun_,' ending with an evil snicker. She walked over and said with a teasing tone, "So Naruto, how'd you get these two beauties, hm?"

Naruto stuttered for a moment before Musubi spoke, "We're Naruto's Sek-" she was cut off by Naruto putting his hand over her mouth.

He laughed abashedly and said, "Just ignore her, we've been friends for a while, that's all." He then leaned into Musubi and whispered, "The Sekirei Plan is a secret, remember?"

Musubi knuckled herself in the head lightly and nodded.

Uzume raised an eyebrow but then got hit by a ladle.

Behind her, Miya stood with her trademark sickeningly sweet smile, "You know Uzume; all I ask is that you call when you stay out late like that."

Uzume rubbed her sore head and laughed weakly, "Yeah, oops. Sorry Miya."

Miya's smile became somewhat normal again as she said, "As long as you're sorry it's fine." With that, she walked into her room.

Uzume grumbled and said, "Geez, damn woman. All I did was go out drinking with Kazehana again and this is what I get, grrr."

Naruto put his arms on the back of the couch, rest his head on it and said nonchalantly while picking at one of his blonde locks, "Ya know, I'm pretty sure she's just worried."

Uzume gained an exasperated look and muttered, "Yeah, about her money."

"So, Uzume." Naruto said, causing the woman to roll on her back and look at him, displaying her assets in full view, but getting disappointed when he seemed not to notice. Not that he didn't. "What can you tell me about the other tenants?"

Uzume sat up and wrapped her knees in her arms and asked, "Why ya wanna know?"

Naruto shrugged and answered, "Just human curiosity I guess."

Uzume put a finger on her chin and said while in thought, "Well, there's Kagari, he works as a host in a club in the middle of town. Then there's Kazehana, though she only spends about half her time here, don't know what she does the rest of the time though. Lastly there's me and I'm a private contractor."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Like carpentry?"

Uzume lightly bonked him on the head and said, "No silly, does this body _look_ like it does carpentry?" While motioning her hands down her sides.

With narrowed eyes, Naruto said accusingly, "I'm not going to answer that."

Shrugging, Uzume said, "Too bad, if you gave the right answer I might've let you see a little." She finished with a wink, getting the embarrassed blush from him she wanted. Then she continued, "I basically do whatever anyone's willing to pay me for. Within reason of course. Though it's mainly just children's parties."

Naruto gave her an accusing stare and said, "So like a jack of all trades huh. Wouldn't you be more fit for adult parties though?"

Uzume just laughed and said, "I'll take that as a compliment. No, I actually have a rather unusual ability."

Naruto was intrigued, "What is it?"

Standing up, Uzume unrolled a bit of cloth and draped it over her arm. After a couple seconds, the cloth started to wiggle and then levitated, wrapping around her arm without touching it. She moved it around and it floated wherever she commanded.

Musubi was in sheer bliss and clapped happily, Akitsu had her normal bored expression.

Naruto, on the other hand, had a suspicious look. He thought, '_That certainly doesn't look like any kekkei genkai I know. Kurama,_'

Yawning, Kurama replied, **"_She's one of them._"**

Knowing what he meant, Naruto gave a mental nod. '_So, she's a Sekirei, I wonder who her Ashikabi is. Hopefully they're willing to work together_,' he thought while watching her.

After several motions, Uzume accidentally stepped on the cloth, which tightened around her arm causing her to slip. Closing her eyes and waiting for the dull thud and pain of hitting the floor, she was surprised when she didn't feel it. Cracking an eye open in curiosity, she noticed Naruto above her with a worried expression.

She then realized he caught her, the realization of that and how fast he was, plus his intense gaze and proximity, Uzume's eyes snapped open and she had a deep pink blush. After a second longer, her blush deepened and spread to her entire face; her breathing got strained and shallow and her eyes became half-lidded. She could also feel the mark on her back burning like a brand.

Seeing her face and thinking she was sick, Naruto shook her lightly and said, "Uzume! Uzume, you alrig-hmmmpfff" he was cut off when she placed a hand on his face and brought him into a deep passionate kiss.

"Waaahhh!" Musubi cried in astonishment.

Akitsu only said one thing, "Ah…jealous."

Almost immediately, Uzume's back started to glow with a white light, and then multiple wings resembling cloth veils sprouted from her back.

After they separated, Uzume had a satisfied look while Naruto was confused.

After what just happened sunk in, he cried to the heavens, "Not another one!"

* * *

**And that's chapter six done. I'll be taking a break while I do a bit of research to refresh my mind for Naruto: The Chains of Destiny Break so I can get out another chapter or two. And for those who are concerned, I haven't forgotten Fullmetal Shinobi, I'm just trying to keep it interesting and this resulting in shorter spurts of writing but seventeen will be out soon enough. Until then, bye.**


	7. Bird no 10 and Waves

Chapter VII

**Well here's chapter seven, got it done faster than I expected. I see alot of people were confused as to why Uzume reacted so quickly. Allow me to explain my reasons behind Sekirei reactions, and if I'm wrong someone correct me so I don't seem totally stupid. **

**Basically, there's a very specific chakra signature each Sekirei reacts to, some react to the same as others and it just so happened Uzume reacted to Naruto's. Her sudden reaction is the result of many things coming together at once. First is Naruto's absolutely massive amount of chakra, his sudden proximity to her, her surprise at him catching her so quickly, doing something nice (it's basic but it works), and her embarassment at screwing up her own trick all combined into one big mess.**

**Now with that done it's time for reviewer responses.**

**TheLastNanaya: I thought about it and decided that I'll still have Konohamaru attracted to Kusano even though she'll be Naruto's Sekirei, it'll provide mostly amusement. And yes she will age, once and if I'm able to get to the shippuden part of the story she'll be about twelve or thirteen. And don't worry, it wasn't really anything I intended on doing, it was just an idea that popped into my head.**

**Jose19: Don't worry, I'd be jealous too. Almost rivals? Pal, she surpasses Tsunade. I think she was around eighteen or nineteen in the anime so that's how old she is here. Most of Naruto's Sekirei are older than him since I've kept their ages the same as in the original story, which makes them between seventeen and twenty-one, or a bit older in Kazehana's case. Yes, Danzo is a prick in the highest regard, they tried to make him sympathetic at the end but he was just too evil.**

**Now on with the story.**

* * *

"Not another one!" Naruto shouted to the heavens. He had just winged another Sekirei, no. 10 Uzume. He had thought his Sekirei would stop at two with Musubi and Akitsu, he just discovered that was wrong.

Uzume stared at him with a confused expression and said, "What?"

Sighing deeply, Naruto rubbed his temple and said, "I uh…just wasn't expecting another Sekirei."

Uzume gave him a slightly depressed expression and asked, "Was that bad?"

With a twitching eyebrow, Naruto stood, scratched his cheek and said, "No…just, unexpected." Then he looked at her and asked, "Guess that means you're my third Sekirei, huh?"

Uzume immediately stood up and chirped, "Yep!"

"Oooooooo," Naruto turned and saw Musubi glaring with an indignant expression. Of course her face didn't look threatening in the least.

Naruto curled back a bit and thought, '_Holy shit! How can she be that damn cute!?_'

The screen door to the room opened and Miya walked in and asked, "May I ask what all the commotion is?"

Musubi pointed at Uzume and said with adorable rage, "Naruto just winged Uzume!"

Uzume jumped a bit when Miya gave her a sickeningly sweet smile, covered her mouth with her sleeve and said, much too sweet, "Oh? How did this happen? You do know lewd acts are forbidden don't you?"

Naruto's face turned when something seemingly impossible happened. The air was filled with the sound of wooden blocks clacking together, a large purple aura surrounded Miya's body and a hannya mask floated out from behind her back.

Everyone in the room huddled in one spot shaking with fear.

**"_Ha, this is killing intent_?"** Kurama said to Naruto.

'_Look Kurama, unless you can help, be quiet._'

Kurama laughed and said, **"_Allow me to release some killing intent and that thing will go away._"**

Naruto screamed in his mind, '_DO IT!_' After getting a little more courage, Naruto stood up and a red aura released from his body.

Both Miya and her hannya looked at him slightly confused.

Then, out from behind Naruto, the silhouette of a massive, multi-tailed monster with glowing red eyes appeared. It roared at the hannya, causing it to curl back.

Miya increased her aura, causing a second mask with a waving snake-like tongue and bleeding eyes to appear.

Despite releasing Kurama's aura, Naruto was sweating, and released more. This time, the beast waved its tails wildly and growled, causing blood colored smoke to flow from its mouth.

Miya's hannya were unaffected, and she gave a smirk under her sleeve; Naruto release just a little more of Kurama's killing intent.

Uzume and the others were about ready to go unconscious from the suppressive feeling being released by both people. Uzume then thought, '_Great, I got an Ashikabi who can imitate the Hannya of the North. Lucky me._'

With the final release of killing intent, the beast curled back a clawed hand and swiped at the hannya masks, shattering them on contact. Surprising Miya and causing her to jump back in both surprise and fear.

Realizing the masks were gone, Naruto suppressed Kurama's killing intent. Naruto turned with grin and said, "Glad I got that-AAAHHH!" he screamed seeing his Sekirei unconscious from the miniature cold war. Shaking them, Naruto said, "Oh, come on, come on! Wake up!" Sighing Naruto muttered flatly, "Crap."

* * *

After the situation calmed down, Miya prepared dinner and everyone went to the table. "Naruto, could you go check on Kagari?" she asked.

He nodded and went over to the hallway and knocked on Kagari's door.

After a second, the door opened and Kagari looked at Naruto with an exhausted expression.

"You okay man?" he asked, seeing the disheveled state of the silver-haired man.

Kagari looked at him tiredly and nodded, "Yeah, long hours, that's all."

Naruto gave him a sympathetic look and said, "Okay…anyway, Miya wanted me to tell you it's time for dinner."

Kagari nodded and said, "I'll be out in a bit." He didn't wait for a response and shut the door.

* * *

Naruto returned to the dining room and told Miya, "He said he'll be out in a bit."

Miya nodded and motioned for him to sit down. When he did, something peculiar happened.

Akitsu sat down on his left with her emotionless stare.

What surprised him was when Uzume and Musubi glared and argued about who sat next to Naruto.

Naruto then thought, '_Is this what Sasuke goes through? I think I just gained a new level of respect for the jerk, and sympathy too._'

After several seconds, Miya appeared behind and knocked them both on the head with a ladle. She then suggested, "How about you alternate?"

Musubi looked at her puzzled and then scrunched her nose in concentration, "Alterate?"

Naruto sighed and explained, "Alternate, it means to switch."

Bopping her open left palm with her right fist in understanding, Musubi said, "So you mean me and Uzumu switch every meal? Wait, what about Akitsu?"

Naruto answered her nonchalantly, "Akitsu is special."

"Ooohhh, that's not fair!" Musubi said puffing out her cheeks.

Naruto sighed and said, "She was a scrapped number remember?" he asked with a sympathetic look.

Looking slightly depressed, Musubi said, "Okay."

* * *

Dinner went by uneventfully, except for Naruto feeling like he was being watched. What confused him and made him suspicious was when he asked Miya, both she and Uzume became uncomfortable and changed the subject.

Deciding it best to ask about it later, Naruto was going to ask another question when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Miya said and walked gracefully over to the door. Once she opened it, she narrowed her eyes and said annoyed, "Oh, it's you."

"Come on, I just need to speak to someone," a lazy voice said.

Hearing the familiar lazy drawl, Naruto and his Sekirei went over to the door and sure enough, standing in the doorway with his two Sekirei was Kakashi.

"Yo," he said with a wave.

"What're you doing here Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded and was about to speak when he noticed Uzume standing next to him. Without speaking he pointed to her.

Following his point, Naruto looked at Uzume, turned back to Kakashi and nodded with a sigh.

Kakashi gave a mock nice guy pose, including a glint on his headband.

Naruto looked at him exasperated and said flatly, "Bite me."

Kakashi ignored his insult and said, "I just thought I'd let you know we'll be getting a mission tomorrow. It's C-rank since I decided moving up a little might not be a bad idea."

Naruto got sparkles in his eyes and said, "Are you serious sensei!?"

Kakashi eye smiled and nodded. "We're going to have a big group though."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"

Eye smiling again, Kakashi said, "We'll both bring our Sekirei with us."

Naruto had an expressionless face, "Oh. Wait! What!?"

"Is that a problem?" Musubi asked with finger up to her lips in a pouty expression.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and sighed, "No, it's fine."

"Yay!" Musubi said pumping her arms in the air.

"Well, I'll see you at the Hokage tower tomorrow. Bye," Kakashi said and walked away.

Miya sighed and said to Naruto, "I pity you for having him as your sensei."

Naruto was confused and asked, "Why?"

"He's lazy, a pervert, and tends to be rude," Miya said, never losing a bit her grace and poise.

With a disgruntled look, Naruto said, "You don't hold back do you?"

Miya gave him her too-sweet smile and said, "I could say more."

Naruto put a hand up, "Nah I'm good."

* * *

Naruto's sleep was disturbed by a dream that night.

In his dream, his was standing on the water in a near infinite ocean. He looked around and saw nothing but water.

After walking for a long time, Naruto stopped when he felt the water shift. Suddenly a vindictive voice spoke out.

"Filthy monkey. Why hath thee approached me?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "What?"

"Do not playeth the fool. I am no stranger to thy despicable ways. I shall destroy thee and proveth my power!"

"Huh!?"

Suddenly the water started shifting violently and a dragon burst from the water and swallowed him whole.

* * *

"AH!" Naruto shot up and yelled in a cold sweat, unknowingly knocked Uzume to the floor.

"Naruto, what's wrong!?" Musubi called to him.

Naruto was trying to calm himself with deep breaths.

Uzume sat up and said, "Hey bro that hurt."

Naruto pointed at her said, "What're you doing here!?"

Uzume pressed her arms together doing nice things to her chest and winked, "You didn't like it?"

Naruto's face curled in frustration and his face turned bright red. He tried to argue, but ended up just sputtering.

Uzume waved at him and giggled, "I'm just playin'. I don't know, I think it just happened."

Sighing and rubbing the back of his head, Naruto grumbled. Then he perked up and said, "Wait, what time is it?"

Uzume looked slightly puzzled and said, "Eight, I think."

Naruto shot up and screamed, "Oh crap, I have to get to the old man's office!" He then began running through the room getting ready.

Uzume looked at him puzzled, "Old man?"

Akitsu said emotionless as usual, "The Hokage."

Uzume quirked and eyebrow, the snapped her fingers, "Oh right, pervert mask showed up last night."

Akitsu and Musubi said in unison, "Pervert mask?"

Uzume stood and shrugged, "My pet name for Kakashi."

"Oh," they said together.

Naruto came out of the bathroom in his orange track suit and looked at his Sekirei and said disgruntled, "Why aren't you guys dressed?"

"What should we wear?" Musubi asked.

Naruto's head slumped, "Your normal outfits are fine, and it shouldn't be that big of an issue."

"Actually it is a bit for me," Uzume said with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"Because I need a specific outfit for combat, but I don't think you want me wearing it under normal circumstances."

Naruto rubbed his chin and said, "Well…let's see it and I'll decide."

Uzume shrugged and winked, "I think you'll like it bro."

Naruto twitched an eyebrow.

* * *

After several minutes Uzume came back and Naruto paled.

Instead of her normal star shirt and capris jeans, she wore white cloth in multiple pieces. On her chest was a piece of cloth that wrapped over her neck, barely covered her breasts, wrapped just below them and around her body, a short white skirt that wrapped around her waist and buttoned, long white boots that came up to the middle of her thighs, long white gloves that came to the middle of her biceps, and multiple long white pieces of free floating cloth that circled around her arms and torso.

Naruto could do little to hide his nosebleed at her outfit.

Seeing this, she decided to have a little fun and wiped the blood away with one of her cloths.

Naruto looked distant for a second before clearing his throat and saying, "Wear your normal outfit, I'll put that in a storage scroll."

Laughing at his discomposure, Uzume winked and said, "Sure, I'll be right back."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and thought to Kurama, '_I swear these Sekirei are going to kill me._'

Kurama chuckled and said, **"_I enjoy seeing the torture these females are able to put you through._"**

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he responded, '_I'd like to see_you_in my situation._'

**"_I wouldn't _****be ****_in this situation, stupid," _**he said flatly.

'_Fair enough._'

"Naruto, you ready to go?" Musubi asked expectantly.

Naruto nodded and headed out with them.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura stood in the Hokage's mission room irritated.

Sakura looked at Kakashi and asked irked, "Where is he?"

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Probably got lost."

Sasuke twitched an eyebrow and asked, "Lost on the road of life you mean?"

Kakashi just eye smiled.

The door opened and Sakura, the moment she saw his hair yelled, "You're…late. Another one!?" she shouted, seeing his extra companion.

Naruto chuckled uneasily and nodded, "Yup, this is Uzume."

Uzume waved and giggled to the group.

Sasuke looked at him with a tic mark and thought, '_He's really starting to piss me off. At least I know I'm stronger_.'

Naruto walked up to the group and noticed Hiruzen and Iruka had shocked expressions. He waved at them and asked, "Aren't we here for a mission?"

Hiruzen cleared his throat and said, "R-right. After a discussion with Kakashi, we decided that it would be acceptable for you to have a C-rank mission. So the mission I've picked is for you to escort the client to the Land of Waves."

"Client?" all three genin asked in unison.

Hiruzen nodded, "Send him in!"

The door opened and a disheveled, drunk old man wearing a straw hat and holding a beer bottle walked in. Speaking in between hiccups, he said, "Seriously? These…brats are my…bodyguards? They're just…pipsqueaks. Although, I don't mind…the pretty ladies." He finished with a lecherous grin and equally lecherous snicker.

Naruto's Sekirei glared at the old man while Naruto himself demonstrated his new talent for materializing Kurama's silhouette for intimidation.

A red aura emanated from his body along with a healthy dose of killing intent. Bits of the aura coagulated into a red smoky apparition resembling Kurama's head, it grinned ominously bearing its many sharp fangs.

Iruka and Hiruzen were in shock, Sasuke looked at him in a combination of fear and rage, Sakura was panting heavily and struggling to stand.

The old man due to being already drunk was on the floor about to vomit.

Kakashi looked at him with a mix of shock and irritation, '_Looks like I'm going to have a talk with Miya when we get back. Wonderful._' He coughed into his hand and said, "Naruto, let's not kill the client before we even leave, okay?"

Naruto looked at him annoyed but nodded and complied. The fox apparition disappeared and his aura dissipated.

Kakashi sighed and looked at his team and said, "Alright everyone, meet at the front gate in an hour." With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Musubi looked at Naruto and asked, "Is he getting Hibiki and Hikari?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Probably."

Sakura was confused and asked, "Who're they?"

Naruto snickered and said, "You'll see."

Sakura puffed her cheeks in annoyance and tried to ask Sasuke for a date as they left.

* * *

They arrived at the gate just on time and waited for nearly an hour.

Sakura growled and asked to no one in particular, "Where is he?"

Naruto sat in a tree nonchalantly and said, "Are you really surprised Sakura?"

Sakura looked up and huffed, then asked, "What're you doing up there anyway?"

Naruto shrugged, "I just like it up high."

Sakura's disgruntled look became curious and she asked, "What do you mean?"

Naruto thought for a minute and shrugged, "Dunno, I've just always had this innate desire to fly. I like being high up because it's the closest thing to that."

Sakura looked at the blonde with newfound respect.

Sasuke couldn't decide if he should be annoyed or impressed, so he just went, "Hn."

* * *

After a few more minutes Kakashi showed up and Sakura was about to yell when she noticed the two women at his side.

Sakura suddenly got very annoyed and asked, "What's going on here?"

Kakashi eye smiled and said, "It's a secret."

Sakura responded with a twitching eyebrow.

* * *

After that the group started their trip and had been walking at a civilian pace for roughly an hour.

Naruto was walking along on the left side with Uzume and Sasuke and noticed a couple of puddles on the ground. He thought for a moment and realized it hadn't rained in several days. He walked closer to Sasuke and nudged his elbow.

"What do you want loser?" Sasuke asked rudely.

Naruto shot a quick glare and subtly pointed to the puddles. Sasuke was at first confused but quickly realized what was going on and nodded.

Naruto looked back at Uzume and then to the puddles.

Knowing what he meant, one of the pieces of cloth she had wrapped around her arm and under her shirt extended and tapped Kakashi's shoulder.

He looked and noticed the odd floating cloth which motioned to the puddles. Looking back at Naruto's group he nodded.

Suddenly, the puddles burst and two shinobi came out. With special gauntlets they had on their right arms, serrated chains with kunai on the ends shot out and wrapped around Kakashi.

Grinning under their masks, the two shinobi pulled the chain, slicing Kakashi to pieces.

Seeing this, Sakura was able to only scream.

Reacting instantly, Hikari and Hibiki lunged at one attacker, attempting to hit him with an electrified double punch.

Knowing electricity was more potent than water, which he used, he jumped and narrowly dodged.

Naruto looked at Musubi and Akitsu and ordered, "Protect Sakura and Tazuna!"

They nodded silently and stood around the two.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto flanked their target.

He tried to escape but Uzume wrapped him in cloth, "Sorry pal, you're not going anywhere," she said with a smirk.

The man had shoulder length, wild brown hair and dark colored eyes, wearing a rebreather with one filter along with his gauntlet on his left arm. He also wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist and a headband with the Hidden Mist symbol and two large horns.

"I know you," Naruto said, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "You're Meizu of the Akuma brothers."

The man snickered, "Good to know our presence is felt all the way out here." With a swift motion, his clawed arm sliced through Uzume's cloth, causing her to stumble back.

Naruto rushed at Meizu and threw a mid-height punch.

Seeing his speed, Meizu thought, '_For a genin, this brat's fast._' He was barely able to dodge the punch and retaliated with his clawed arm.

Naruto put his hand on the gauntlet and propelled himself up. Then in a swift motion, brought his legs forward hit Meizu in the chin with his foot. After landing on the ground, Naruto looked at Sasuke and said, "I can handle Meizu, go deal with Gozu."

Annoyed at the blonde trying to order him around, Sasuke scoffed and jumped towards the man.

* * *

Gozu stood at a stalemate with Hikari and Hibiki.

Every time they tried to punch him he dodged, and every time they tried to shock him he tossed several senbon or kunai that redirected the current.

He couldn't attack him because he would get shocked.

The twins were about to attack again when Sasuke showed up.

He looked at the man and saw he had shoulder length dark-brown hair and similarly dark eyes to his brother. He wore a rebreather with two filters and his clawed gauntlet on his right arm. He also wore a camouflage outfit with bandages on his waist but wore a ragged cape over that with a Mist headband with one horn.

Gozu snickered and said, "Look at this, the kid wants to play hero. How touching."

Sasuke growled at the insult and charged, throwing several kunai and jumped high in the air.

"Ha, you really think that'll work?" Gozu taunted. He shot his chain out to deflect the kunai and then whipped it up to hit Sasuke and seemingly sliced him in half, only for it to be a substitution. "Not bad, now try this!" Gozu thrust his arm forward and the chain shot at blinding speeds that Sasuke barely dodge, getting his sleeve cut in the process.

Sasuke formed several hand signs and then took a big breath, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He exhaled sending a fireball towards Gozu who just scoffed.

"Water Style: Water Wall," Gozu placed his hand on the ground and a wall of water shot up, dissipating the fireball. What Gozu didn't expect was the multiple shuriken that were in the fireball that shot through the wall. He barely managed to bring up his gauntlet and block them.

Sasuke jumped over the wall and brought an axe kick down which Gozu stopped by grabbing his leg and slamming him against a tree, causing him to cough up a little blood.

* * *

Naruto saw this and 'tch'ed at the sight and jumped over another chain. Then made several shadow clones which circled Meizu.

Meizu snickered and swung his chain around, dispelling the clones easily. "Is that damn shadow clone all you got, brat?"

Two large shuriken barreled towards him on either side at high speeds.

Meizu clicked his tongue and jumped over the shuriken.

Behind him, one shuriken transformed into Naruto in a puff of smoke and grabbed the other one as it came close.

Meizu saw the Naruto in front of him disappear just in time to see the large shuriken impale him through the midsection, which caused him to cough up blood into his rebreather that he promptly choked on.

Naruto sighed in relief and said, "Glad that's over." He looked at Sasuke to see him still imbrued in his battle.

He was about to help when he saw it end.

* * *

Sasuke struggled to dodge every strike from Gozu's arm, which were more aggressive since he was mad at his brother's death.

Gozu then launched himself at Sasuke and tried to impale Sasuke through the torso, only to be clotheslined by Kakashi, knocking him out cold.

Kakashi looked back at his student and asked, "You alright?"

Sasuke scoffed and turned away. When he saw Naruto had beaten his opponent single handed he clenched his fists in rage. '_How!? I'm an Uchiha! Why does he always seem to be ahead of me?!'_ he yelled in his mind.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kakashi said as he tied up an unconscious Gozu. Kakashi gave an intense glare to their charge Tazuna. He walked over to him and said, "You have a lot of explaining to do. C-ranks don't entail contact with chunin level ninja. That would make it at least B-rank. So, care to elaborate what you know?"

Tazuna pulled down his hat and said somberly, "It wasn't our intention to deceive you, we're a poor nation that couldn't afford anything higher than C-rank, and we could barely afford that."

Kakashi sighed and said, "By all rights we should end the mission right here, a B-rank is too much for genin."

"Besides," Naruto interrupted, "if you had told the old man, I'm sure he would've been able to figure something out, like a small discount based on circumstances or a payment plan. You didn't have to lie."

Tazuna sighed, "Get ready for a bomb, this'll take a while."

"We've got time," Kakashi said with a narrowed eye and the smallest bit of killing intent, insuring to the old man that should he lie he'd regret it.

"Right, you see a few months ago; Gato, an unscrupulous business man wandered into town and set up shop without our approval. One man tried to stand up and was beaten to death for it. After that, Gato put heavy tariffs on all trade, took strict control of all the land's money and basically turned life into a daily living hell. The bridge I'm leading construction on that will connect the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire, is our only hope at this point. But Gato's power base is too wide and he always stealing or destroying supplies and equipment, or scaring or killing the workers. With things as they are now the bridge will never be finished and we'll stay under Gato's thumb."

Kakashi sighed and looked at his team, "What do you think?"

Sakura was the first to speak up, "Kakashi sensei, we're just genin, we can't handle a battle against enemy ninja, I think we should head back."

Sasuke scoffed, "Not a chance, this is the perfect opportunity to test my power and see how strong I am," he said with a smirk.

"You can't be serious Sasuke!" Sakura screamed in disbelief.

"Besides you already did. You fought Gozu and failed hard," Naruto deadpanned.

"No one asked you Naruto!" Sasuke nearly shouted to everyone's surprise.

Sighing, Naruto said, "While it is true that a B-rank is outside the norm for genin, Sasuke and I are more powerful than normal genin. Plus we have Musubi, Uzume and the others, not to mention you."

Kakashi thought it over and Naruto made several good points. He looked at Tazuna with a distrusting glance and said, "Alright, we'll continue but it is now a B-rank, we'll expect the remainder of the payment as soon as you can get it. But," he paused, getting the bridge builder's attention, "if there is anything, I mean _anything_, else you haven't told us, do it now."

Tazuna stroked his beard and said, "I do remember a few of Gato's forces were a bit odd."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.

"Standing next to him most of the time is his nephew, Higa Izumi."

Uzume paled at the person's name, which Naruto noticed.

"He usually had two rather attractive women with him. One with dark skin and a weird flashy leotard, the other had lighter skin and an even weirder outfit with a long red spear."

Uzume nudged Naruto and whispered, "No. 16 Toyotama and No. 18 Ichiya."

Naruto whispered back, "They're Sekirei?"

Uzume nodded, "Izumi's the Ashikabi of the East and a dirty bastard."

"Oy!" Kakashi yelled, frightening the two. "Right now isn't the time for secrets Naruto."

Naruto grimaced and said to the jounin, "Can I talk to you in private for a second?"

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye but nodded.

* * *

Once they were away from the group, Kakashi asked, "What's this about, Naruto?"

Naruto looked around to make sure none of their group, specifically Sasuke or Sakura, and said, "That Izumi guy is the Leaf's Ashikabi of the East."

Kakashi sighed, "I knew I remembered his name. I suppose those women are his Sekirei?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, Toyotama and Ichiya, Uzume told me," he said, seeing the unspoken question on Kakashi's face.

"How does she know them?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

Naruto shrugged, "Dunno, she didn't say and I don't think it's my place to pry."

Kakashi nodded and said, "In that case, Sasuke and Sakura are bound to discover something about the Sekirei plan, but let's not tell them anything unless absolutely necessary or unavoidable."

Naruto nodded and they returned.

* * *

"Geez, first you say no secrets and now you're telling secrets? Stay consistent Kakashi sensei!" Sakura yelled.

"Sorry, it had to do with classified information only Naruto and I know. I hope you understand," Kakashi said with finality.

This caused Sasuke to grimace further as he put his thought together. '_Now he's involved with top secret information? Who or what the hell is he!?'_ Sasuke clenched his fists so hard it's surprising they didn't bleed.

* * *

After discussing the new terms of the contract and sending a carrier hawk to the Hokage, the group restarted their journey to the Land of Waves.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, a strange figure inside a venus flytrap watched them intensely and then sunk into the ground.

* * *

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Next time is the first battle against Zabuza and the introduction to the Land of Waves proper. See you then.**


	8. Demon of the Hidden Mist

Chapter VIII

**Time for chapter eight! This one was a little more difficult to write, mainly because I kept redoing the fight scenes over and over. But I'm pleased with the current results. Tell me what you think.** **Now to do some responses**

**Jose19: Don't fret, Karasuba's got a big role later. As for Sakura, read for yourself.**

**NIX'S WARDEN: Thanks, I tried to make it that way.**

**Strife666: Guess you'll just have to wait and see.**

**WTF: Unfotunately Izumi's gonna have total deniability, can't say how yet, but it's basically going to be Danzo again. Everyone knows he did it, they just don't have solid proof. Plus, let's just say Danzo and Izumi have more in common than you might think.**

**TheLastNanaya: Thanks. Yeah, I didn't feel the need to add that part because I thought it was obvious. Slight oversight on my part. Which I tried to ammend in this with a little more detail, though I think I still left of a few people out. Oh wait, Hibiki and Hikari. Even though I don't mention, and should probably fix it, they're standing on the sidelines watching for other enemies, I didn't put that in since I coudln't figure out where without breaking the flow. Sure, no problem.**

**Now on with the show!**

* * *

After traveling for several more days, Naruto and the group arrived at a boat to take them to the Land of Waves. It would have, but the driver had one little problem.

"I can't ferry that many people in one trip," the driver complained.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and apologized, "I suppose there are a lot of us aren't there?"

Hibiki and Hikari just grumbled.

"You know Kakashi, you should've thought this sooner you dolt," Hikari scolded.

"Now, now, I didn't think we'd have such a small form of transport," Kakashi shot back.

"I thought shinobi were prepared for everything," Hibiki retorted.

"Well unfortunately we can't predict the future, so we can only go by our own guesses," he said with a shrug.

Hikari gained a tick mark and yelled at him, "Well you guessed wrong!"

"Well it's not my fault. How was I supposed to know that a village requesting a C-rank would have been taken over by a-BRBRBRBR!" Kakashi's apology was interrupted when his Sekirei sent several hundred volts through his body.

After the frying was done, Kakashi's hair was sparking, and a couple hairs were on fire, and he puffed out a ball of smoke. He turned to the Lightning Twins and said, "…Ow."

"That's what you get for being stupid," Hikari said with her arms crossed.

Tazuna sighed and started trying to figure this out with the boat driver since the team's commander was utterly useless at the time.

* * *

Naruto sat down by a tree reading a book when he noticed a shadow block the sun. He looked up to see Sasuke leaning against the tree with a rather irritated look on his face.

Naruto gave a feeble smile and asked, "Kakashi's antics gettin' to you too Sasuke?"

Sasuke squeezed his arm for a second and answered, "Kakashi doesn't bother me. I wanted to talk to you specifically lo-Naruto," Sasuke corrected himself.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, closed his book and asked, "Weird, but I'm game. Sit down and we'll talk."

Sasuke looked at him rather constipated looking before swallowing his pride and complying.

Naruto leaned his head against the tree and asked quietly, "What's up?"

Sasuke answered just as hushed, "I…I want to know how you got so powerful."

Naruto nearly fell over, "Wait, what was that?" he asked in disbelief that Sasuke actually admitted to him being more powerful.

Sasuke just retorted, "Hn, I didn't stutter."

Naruto narrowed his eyes but thought, '_Well at least he's starting to open up. I've dealt with his taunting so far, a little longer is all it should take_,' he finished with a hopeful smile. Clearing his throat he said, "Training, lots of it and also my original sensei helped a bit."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and thought, '_There he goes again with that damn sensei of his. Just who the hell is it_?' "Naruto, who was this sensei of yours,?" he asked, hoping for an answer.

Naruto sighed and said, "We've already been over this, I can't tell you. I will tell you that he's very strong. Basically he raised me in secret after a particularly bad beating I got. After that he started training me and by the time I was ten he had brought me up to high academy levels." Naruto paused and looked down with a sad smile, "But when I was twelve he left, I don't know why or what happened but," Naruto said biting his lip, "he just disappeared."

Sasuke was in shock, not only in that Naruto was as powerful as an academy graduate when he was ten, but that he seemed to so deeply care about this person. Sasuke looked down himself and realized something, something he had wanted to deny every day, that the loss of the bonds of family weren't felt by him alone.

Sasuke bit his lip so hard it bled and then said quickly, "He…he sounds like a great person." Leaving no time for Naruto to reply he stood up and left.

Naruto just looked at him in shock. Then he gave a mirthless smile and thought, '_Yeah. Yeah he was_.'

* * *

Eventually, Kakashi and Tazuna were able to work out a deal with the driver, he would make multiple trips to take everyone but he got an extra four thousand ryo in return. Naturally Kakashi was chosen to pay the man.

* * *

In a distant, rain soaked village, atop a massive tower, a man with pale skin and orange hair sat talking to someone standing in the shadows.

"So, team seven has arrived in the Land of Waves, hmm?" the shadowed man said with excitement.

"Yes. They will soon encounter Zabuza and Haku. When they do, it is likely the Nine-tails and his Sekirei will defeat them. After that they will call for help," the orange haired man said.

"And by help, you mean Kisame don't you?" he asked with a maniacal grin.

The orange haired man simply nodded.

"Shall I send some backup with him?" the shadowed man asked.

"Yes, send Benitsubasa and Karasuba, they will be enough," the orange haired man commanded.

The shadowed man bowed and said, "Of course, lord Pein."

* * *

Back in the Land of Waves the group was walking through a forest that connected to the actual village. After a short time, Naruto heard movement to his right and motioned quickly and subtly.

As if hearing her Ashikabi's thoughts, Akitsu launched several ice spikes into a nearby bush, catching everyone's attention.

Akitsu walked over and saw a small white rabbit. She looked at with a light blush and slowly reached to pick it up, but was knocked away by a screaming Sakura who grabbed the rabbit and wrapped it tightly in her arms and scolded the ice woman, "You moron, you could've killed it!" Sakura immediately froze when she noticed Naruto's not too subtle glare.

He walked over and helped Akitsu up and asked, "You okay?"

She nodded and began forming more ice spears.

Naruto flicked her on the forehead, leaving a red mark. "Don't waste your energy."

Disappointed that she didn't get her retaliation, she complied all the same.

The group continued walking and Naruto picked up his pace and walked beside Kakashi and spoke quietly, "Kakashi sensei."

Kakashi made no motions and responded, "I know."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but then almost face palmed when he realized what they were talking about. He thought to himself, '_It's summer. White rabbits only appear in the winter, unless they're kept in captivity_.' Sasuke looked at them and they nodded, he did so in return. Kakashi suddenly froze as did Naruto.

Immediately, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and Akitsu, while Kakashi grabbed Sakura and Hikari and they both shouted, "GET DOWN!" Everyone did and a massive sword whizzed overhead and embedded itself in a tree.

Kakashi leaned up and turned around slowly to look at it, and when he did, his eye widened and he paled.

On the sword stood a tall and muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, bandages wrapped over the bottom half of his face, a sideways Hidden Mist headband with a slash through it, a belt around his torso and baggy gray pants with black and white cameo leg warmers.

Kakashi looked at him and said, "You're, Zabuza Momochi!"

Zabuza looked at Kakashi and smirked under his mask, "And you must be Kakashi Hatake," he said in a deep gravelly voice.

"This is bad," Kakashi said. "Everyone, get in a manji formation!" Kakashi ordered.

The Sekirei just looked at him blankly. Uzume spoke first, "What does that mean?" she asked sheepishly.

Without missing a beat, Naruto started giving commands to his Sekirei, "Surround Tazuna! Musubi, stand in front facing Zabuza, Uzume, in the back with your veils as spikes. Akitsu, stand directly in front of Tazuna and make an ice dome!"

"Right!" all three spoke at once.

Sasuke looked at the blonde in surprise and smirked, then said, "Guess that means we get to have some fun huh?"

Naruto looked at him with a cocky grin and nodded.

"No!" Kakashi ordered. "Naruto, you have sensor abilities, check for other enemies."

Naruto nodded and extended his senses with Kurama's chakra. His eyes snapped open and he said, "Kakashi, I found two, each ten meters away and flanking!"

Kakashi nodded in response.

Zabuza was annoyed, "Tsk, Taki! Thicken the mist!"

"Taki?" Kakashi said. Just then, the light mist that was surrounding them thickened. "Damn, can't see a thing."

"That's good for me Kakashi," Zabuza said with a chuckle.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stood in a triangle formation around Tazuna right as Zabuza released some of his killer intent. Everyone could feel it.

Sakura started trembling and shaking, ready to fall to her knees.

The Sekirei looked majorly unaffected but were all sweating, except Musubi, who was too excited about fighting a powerful opponent to notice the aura.

Naruto was unaffected, but he noticed something next to him.

Sasuke was shaking at every joint. He was sweating profusely and thought, '_I-I can't take this! If this is what fighting someone of this caliber is like, I-I can't…_' he slowly brought his kunai up to his throat when a hand latched onto his wrist. He looked to his left in bewilderment and saw Naruto giving him an intense stare.

"Stop, I won't let my comrade do something so stupid. Besides, if this pitiful amount of killing aura overwhelms you, you suck as an avenger," he said sarcastically but with a serious expression.

Sasuke snapped to consciousness and took several calming breaths.

Naruto looked at him just as intensely and asked, "Better?"

Eased but still moving stiffly and sweating he nodded.

Naruto gave him a grin and said, "Good," and let go.

Sasuke berated himself for being ready to give up so quickly; this man was nothing to Itachi, he was sure of it.

* * *

Kakashi and Zabuza were in a stare-down until Zabuza jumped off his sword and taunted, "Alright Kakashi. If you won't make the first move, then I…will!" he grunted as he removed the Executioner's Blade. It was a massive one-sided broadsword longer than Zabuza was tall, with a groove near the base to be perched on the wielder's shoulder, a hole near the end, and it was nearly as wide as a man's torso.

Zabuza stuck the end in the ground and stared at Kakashi for a second before grabbing the sword, pulling it out, and swinging it behind him. Zabuza rushed at Kakashi at speeds that would be theoretically impossible when using a sword that big.

'_Then again, that's probably why they call him the Demon of the Hidden Mist_,' Kakashi thought while dodging and ducking Zabuza's attacks. Kakashi ducked under a vertical swing, jumped to the side to dodge a horizontal slash, and backpedaled from a lunge. '_Now!_' he though as he took advantage of Zabuza's recovery time and planted his foot on the blade, formed a fist, and launched forward by surging chakra from the bottom of his foot, nailing Zabuza in the jaw and sending him flying.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto fought off water clones of Zabuza.

A clone from the mist tried to bisect Naruto, but he blocked it with a kunai and one of his shadow clones kicked it in the face, turning it back into a puddle of water.

Sasuke hopped to the right to avoid a downward slash and threw several kunai, dispelling a clone.

Musubi had two clones at once. They tried to get her with a scissor cut but she leapt into the air and came down with a double heel kick, dispelling them.

Uzume was fairing the best, or the worst; the best because every clone that got within visible range was stabbed by her veil spears. The worst because her veils were getting soaked, requiring more and more chakra to hold up. She grunted in irritation as she stabbed another clone. This time, the veil she used hit the ground, too soaked and heavy to use. "Damn," she cursed, realizing her other veils weren't far away from joining it.

Akitsu looked out from within the dome with a nigh unnoticeable worried expression, both her Ashikabi and her sister Sekirei were fighting for their lives and she was just standing there protecting a drunk old man. She grit her teeth in annoyance. She wanted desperately to join in the fight her Ashikabi ordered her to guard Tazuna, and as the one who gave her hope and a future, she would be damned before she disobeyed him.

Over in the trees, a silver haired woman with a revealing white dress and short grey skirt watched the blonde human in curiosity. "Why is he trying so desperately to protect that old buzzard? He's not even thankful and is just leering at his Sekirei. How bizarre."

Naruto dispelled another clone only to discover too late that one was behind him. He grit his teeth but was surprised when Sasuke axe kicked it, dispelling it.

Sasuke looked at him with a smirk and asked, "You okay, loser?"

Naruto looked at him with a grin and said, "Just fine jerk."

The two split and began their defense anew.

* * *

Sakura, however, was standing just outside the dome with her kunai held low in an amateur defensive position and quaking in fear. She heard the sounds of battle all around her but couldn't tell where they were coming from. Every slash, clang, and punch caused her flinch. She was ready to faint.

Up in the trees, a cloaked figure watched Sakura quaking in fear at the assault and found himself gripping the tree so hard it began to crack. Just then he noticed movement in front of her.

* * *

Sakura watched in terror as one of Zabuza's Water Clones walked up to her slowly, its sword perched on its shoulder.

She back up against the ice wall, her knees shaking and kunai starting to slip from sweat.

The clone inched closer and Sakura fell to the ground, looking at it with horror. It raised its sword in the air and swung it downward.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed.

* * *

"Sakura!" everyone yelled.

"Dammit!" Naruto said. He formed several hand signs and thought, '_I only just learned it, but the best place to practice…is the battlefield!_' He inhaled a massive amount of air and said, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" All of the air rushed out at once, blowing away and clearing the mist.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke ran to Sakura and paled at what they saw.

Sakura sat there on the grass, barely able to move and eyes glazed over in fear.

In front of her, a masked man with wild silver hair and a black cloak had a wall of fire blocking the water clone's sword. He reeled back his fist and encased it in flame and shouted, "Piss off!" and punched straight through the clone, dispelling it.

"Homura!" Uzume shouted, shocked to see the self-proclaimed Guardian of Unwinged Sekirei so far from the village. She then noticed something else, despite his face being mostly hidden, she could see his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were heavy as he breathed shallowly and rapidly. "He's…reacting! But to who?" she wondered, she then noticed who he was guarding, Sakura.

Homura fell into a kneel and looked at Sakura, who couldn't believe she was just saved. He looked at her and said, "I need you to…wing me."

Sakura just blinked, "Eh?"

"Never mind, just sit still," he said, pulling down his mask.

Sakura's face filled with heat. His face had the perfect balance of masculinity and femininity. It looked strong and powerful, and yet fragile and kind; his silver hair falling into just the right spots. She let out an 'eep' when she noticed he got closer.

He put his hand on her chin, lifted her head and said, "You are, my Ashikabi."

Sakura didn't have time to ponder as he took her lips in a deep, burning kiss. The Sekirei mark lit up on his back while multiple wings of flame burst from his back.

Zabuza raised an eyebrow while Kakashi thought, '_I didn't realize she was an Ashikabi._'

Sakura's mind shut off completely, this guy; this cute guy just kissed her out of the blue. Not only that, he was protecting her, and she could tell the kiss was not normal, or at least that's what she thought since it was her first. '_Wait, my first!? I wanted my first to be with Sasuke!_' she screamed in her head when she noticed what wasn't normal about the kiss, Homura was absorbing her chakra, and lots of it.

Homura stood up and glared defiantly at Zabuza, while Sakura just sat there swaying back and forth while her brain tried ineffectually to reboot.

Homura looked at Zabuza and spoke, "For attacking my Ashikabi, you will burn!" He rushed at Zabuza and launched several blast of flame from his hands.

Zabuza jumped to the side dodge them, and then brought up his sword to block them.

A move he quickly regretted as Kakashi chopped him in the ribs with his hand, causing the swordsman to buckle in pain. He looked up in time to receive a flaming roundhouse from Homura that sent him into the water, not resurfacing.

Homura panted for a minute before calming down and looking at Kakashi and was about to explain himself when Kakashi put up his hand.

"I don't care why you were following us, I'm just glad you were here," he said while examining the situation.

Puzzled, Homura nodded and rushed back to Sakura's side.

He knelt down and put his hand to her forehead, "She's okay, just fatigued."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Alright, let's go."

Everyone nodded and the resumed their trek to Tazuna's house.

* * *

On the edge of the forest, Taki stood there unable to take her mind off Naruto when someone walked up to her.

"We need to go, master Zabuza could be injured," they said.

Looking to her comrade and back again, Taki nodded uncertainly and followed.

* * *

The Leaf group finally arrived at Tazuna's self-proclaimed 'super-house'. A simple two story town home sitting uneasily on a pier overlooking the water.

Needless to say, Naruto was not impressed.

* * *

They entered and saw a pretty young woman with long, dark blue hair, dark colored eyes, and wearing a pink shirt and blue pants who was cooking a meal.

She turned to see Tazuna waving and said, "Father your home! Oh…my," she said in surprise, "they sent a veritable army didn't they?"

Tazuna laughed and said, "Yes Tsunami, it seems they did. Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami."

Most everyone bowed, except Sakura, who was flung over Homura's shoulder still unconscious.

Kakashi walked up to Tsunami and asked, "Do you have some rooms we could use?"

Tsunami nodded happily, "Of course, just follow me." She led them up stairs to a series of rooms and told which ones were owned and which ones they could use.

Kakashi thanked and everyone set up.

* * *

In their room, Homura laid Sakura down gently on the futon and threw the blanket over her. Then he sat next to the window sill watching over her and waited for her to wake up.

* * *

In Naruto's room, he unsealed a bed he always kept with him, which resulted in a fight between his Sekirei about who got to sleep at his side. Naruto just sweat dropped and waited for them to stop.

* * *

In Sasuke's room, he looked around and then decided to check his supplies in preparation for future battles, and to think over everything that had happened.

* * *

Kakashi sat in a corner of his room like a child while getting scolded by his Sekirei about being reckless. He just sighed and wished he could read.

* * *

In a remote corner of one of the forests in the Land of Waves, in a large tree house high in the boughs of the trees, Zabuza lay in a bed being tended to by one of his followers, Haku.

Haku was a young woman with long black hair, dark eyes and soft features, despite posing as a male the majority of the time to avoid unneeded hassle. To aid her she usually wore chest bindings to hide her breasts, she also wore a pink sleeveless kimono with red edges and plum-colored swirl patterns.

Taki stood in the corner glaring at Haku, irritated by the same basic matters as always. Haku could blend into a crowd, because her features were just masculine enough that if she told someone she was a guy, they would believe her. But due to Taki's voluptuous features, she had no chance of hiding and always received whistles and lecherous stares. '_I wonder if that boy would look at me like that? Wait! What am I doing!?_' she shouted in her head and thought resolutely, '_He's the enemy! He's threatening Zabuza! He's, he's, just so cute!_' she almost squealed while pressing her hands against her cheeks and swooning, imagining a _very_ bishonen Naruto smiling at her with glinting teeth. She was brought out of her wet dream by Haku.

"Taki, I need to tend to master Zabuza. You need to go and collect some herbs for a salve," she ordered, either unaware or unconcerned with Taki's hateful glare.

"Hmph," Taki said with an about face, "fine, I'll get the herbs. Just don't boss me around," she demanded, pointing angrily at Haku.

Haku narrowed her eyes at her said coldly, "And why not? I have my Ice Style, needles, senbon, dragons, and mirrors. Along with even more, and all you have is your mist. Therefore I am superior, especially in master Zabuza's eyes."

Taki just glared daggers at the woman and stomped off to a clearing with many medicinal flowers.

* * *

Inside Tazuna's house, Sakura had finally woken up, but was more than surprised to see Homura there. She looked wearily at him and thought back to when she woke up.

* * *

_Flashback..._

_On her futon, Sakura started to come to, tossing and moaning._

_Seeing this, Homura turned his attention to her as she sat up._

_She looked around wearily and asked, "Where am I?"_

_In the window behind her, Homura spoke up, "In a room inside Tazuna's house."_

_Sakura turned around and saw the bishonen and jumped with a scream._

_Homura just sighed. He walked over and put a hand on the screaming Sakura's shoulder and gave her as sweet a smile he could muster._

_She looked at him with a light dusting of pink and turned away, poking her fingers together in an embarrassed manner. Then she froze and thought, 'Wait a second! When did I become Hinata!? I'm not a scaredy cat! I'm the daring and beautiful Sakura! Cha!' She looked at Homura and took a calming breath and asked, "Who are you?"_

_Homura sat down and told her his name, along with the basics of the Sekirei plan._

* * *

_After that they went downstairs and Homura explained the situation to the only other two Ashikabi, Naruto and Kakashi._

_Sakura was extremely surprised, and then realized that Naruto and Kakashi's new harem's made a little more sense. Though she still thought it was creepy._

_After they explained to her the duties of an Ashikabi they told her how secretive it was and included not telling Sasuke until they returned to the village._

_Disappointed at not having something to boast about, she agreed dejectedly._

_Flashback End..._

* * *

This lead to their current situation with Sakura sitting in between Sasuke and Homura, she was unable to decide who to look at.

Feeling his Ashikabi's uncertainty, Homura looked at her when she looked back and gave her a comforting smile, which seemed to calm her down a bit.

Kakashi then started discussing with Naruto and the others their situation.

"So as far as we can tell, Gato controls most of the city and uses extortion and force to keep his tight grip," he said with his eye closed like he was going through a list printed on his eyelid.

Tazuna nodded.

Kakashi opened his eye and continued, "So, our current problem is facing Zabuza. Until we get rid of him we can't stop Gato. Then after that we have to take down his forces."

Naruto nodded then looked at Tazuna and said, "I could help with the construction."

Tazuna looked at him doubtfully and said, "You're just a kid."

Naruto chuckled and replied, "But I can have the strength of a thousand men if you need it."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow but diverted his attention when a new voice spoke up.

"Why bother?" someone said.

Naruto and the others turned to see a young boy with short, unkempt black hair wearing a white and blue striped fisherman's hat, a pale yellow shirt and green overalls.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "What was that?"

"Why bother fighting Gato? It's hopeless. He's too powerful, you'll just die anyway," he said succinctly, as if it were a fact.

Naruto glared at the boy now, "Listen here brat," everyone tensed as Naruto stood up, "You may not know it, but we're stronger than we look. Gato is just a dirty old fat ass with a lot of money. One ninja is stronger than a hundred thugs."

The boy clenched his fists and shouted, "Grrr, you just don't get it do you!? Everyone who's stood up to him has died! Just give up and go home!"

Naruto slapped the boy across the face. He then said, "We accepted this mission, and a ninja completes a mission he is given no matter what. And I don't intend to give just because some snot nosed brat can't tell how strong someone is!" Naruto stomped over to the door and prepared to leave.

Kakashi stood up from his seat said, "Naruto! Where are you going?"

"To blow off some steam! Nobody follow me!" he shouted as he slammed the door.

The boy started crying and ran upstairs.

"Stupid Naruto, making a kid cry like that," Sakura chided.

"He's not wrong," Homura added, confusing Sakura, "Just because something seems hopeless doesn't mean you just give up. You look for another solution."

Sakura glared at him for second before sighing and saying, "I guess you're right."

* * *

In a flower filled clearing, Naruto made one hundred shadow clones. However, instead of splitting them up for training he just had them bum rush him and he fought them all at once.

The clones attacked him relentlessly and after about two hours he defeated them all, lying in the flower bed physically exhausted and tired, he drifted off and fell asleep right there.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto awoke because Kurama told him he was being watched.

He tiredly opened his eyes and thought it was still night because it was dark. That's when he realized there bits of sunlight visible. Waiting for his eyes to focus, he saw a pair of dark grey orbs staring into his blue ones. He said groggily, "A-angel?"

Taki giggle and sat up, "Sorry, just a regular mortal."

Naruto sat up and got a better look at her and realized just how pretty she was. This caused him to blush.

Taki looked at him and giggled a little.

Annoyed with her laughing he asked with a pout, "What's so funny?"

Stifling her laughter she said, "First I see you passed out in a clearing, then you give that lost-in-space look, I couldn't stop from laughing."

"Hmph," Naruto crossed his arms and turned his chin.

Motioning him to listen she asked, "So, what's your name?"

Naruto pointed to himself with his thumb and said, "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki! Shinobi extraordinaire and future Hokage, believe it!"

Taki giggled again.

Naruto shook a fist and pointed at her and shouted, "Would you stop that! Anyway, who're you?"

Taki waved at him and said, "Sorry, sorry, you're just too funny. And my name's Taki." She suddenly became worried and said, "Oops."

Naruto blinked several times and then thought.

…

…

…

"Ah! You're the person that was working with Zabuza!"

Taki tapped her forehead and said, "Great."

* * *

**There goes chapter eight. Hopefully it was good and not too boring. I can't _wait_ to see what people think of what I did with Sakura. Just know, it wasn't a whim, there's a reason. Either way, review and tell me what you think.**


	9. Daybreak and Training

Chapter IX

**And here's nine. I've just got a frenzy in writing this thing, so I'll keep putting out chapters frequently until it dies down, and hopefully I can work on some of the other stories a bit more once it does. I noticed the opinions on Sakura winging Homura were mixed, but there's a reason for it. Part of it is in this chapter. I can't think of anything else big so let's go to responses.**

**ncpfan: First, I wanted to thank you again for all the help. Second, I did kinda cheat on that end but it was for a purpose, and the only character that could fulfill it was Homura, so just kind of suspend your disbelief on that one. **

**gamelover41592: That's when Sasuke will find out, but I had to say yes to both or it could've spoiled what happened here.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: They haven't, all but Karasuba still have Ichinomi. I've something else in store for her. Also, say 'AAAHHH' 'cuz here's more. :)**

**WTF: Thanks, that means alot. As for your second review, I've got big plans for him 'MWAHAHAHAHAHA!'**

* * *

In a large concrete complex, two people were talking. One was Higa Izumi and his uncle Gato Rampor. They were discussing Zabuza's defeat by Kakashi's group.

"Zabuza was beaten by a washed up old jounin and a bunch of kids!" Gato shouted, gripping his cane so hard it shook.

Izumi sat on the opposite side of Gato's desk, his chin resting on the butt of his hand and a confident grin on his face; behind him stood Toyotama and Ichiya, standing stoically and waiting for orders.

"Please, uncle, stop worrying so much. We have other means of dealing with them," Izumi said with a high degree of coolness.

"What, you mean your army of bimbos?" Gato chided.

Toyotama stepped forward and was about to retort but Izumi put his hand up and gave her a stern look. Toyotama looked irked but complied.

"That's the general idea," he told his uncle.

"Tch, at least it'll be cheaper than hiring more rogue ninja. The only problem is Zabuza represents a loose end," Gato said still irritated.

Izumi chuckled, "I've got everything under control."

Gato narrowed his eyes and nodded, "Fine, then handle it. And if you fail don't come back, go on and drag your ass back to the Leaf."

Toyotama couldn't take it, even if he's Izumi's uncle, nobody insults her Ashikabi. "Alright, listen here you pig!"

Izumi immediately stood up and slapped her, "Silence Toyotama," he said coldly.

She was in shock, Izumi had chided her before; but he has never slapped her before even when she was defending him.

* * *

After leaving the group walked in silence and Toyotama decided to break it with a question.

"Izumi, why did you do that?" she asked, putting her hand against her sore cheek.

Without turning around, Izumi answered, "Because while you do fight for me, your methods are too brash for political and economic maneuverings. So when I'm talking, just know I'm always in control, so be silent unless I say otherwise."

Toyotama cringed at his words and tone, and felt nothing through the bond but annoyance to her. She sighed and continued walking.

* * *

In his hideout Zabuza, despite being weakened had just written a letter for assistance to one of his old teammates.

Haku rolled up the note and put it on the leg of an owl and sent it off. She turned back to Zabuza and asked, "Master Zabuza are you sure we can trust him?"

Weakly, Zabuza nodded and responded, "Yes. Kisame is a battle hungry psychopath. As a result, fighting powerful opponents would be enough; the money would be just a bonus."

Haku nodded, "Very well." She walked to the window and said suspiciously, "Why're you taking so long Taki?"

* * *

In a field of flowers, Naruto and Taki sat opposite each other, Naruto frozen in his face fault with his finger pointing accusingly at Taki.

Taki simply looked on, somehow managing to look annoyed and sheepish at the same time.

After Naruto recovered from the sheer comedy of his current predicament, he immediately stood up, jumped back and pulled out a kunai.

Taki became alarmed, jumped to her feet and waved her arms in front of her defensively and yelling, "Wait, wait, wait!"

"Why? So you can get ready to fight me?! I don't think so!" Naruto fired back.

"I'm not a combat type! I can't fight you," she said, hoping it calmed him down.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion before realizing what her words meant, "'Combat type'? Isn't that something a Sekirei would…say…? Wait, are you a-?!"

She interrupted him and nodded, "Yeah, I'm a Sekirei, but my only real ability is to create mist."

"So, you couldn't fight even if you wanted to?" he asked, still on alert.

She nodded while answering nervously, "I swear I wasn't followed, either."

Naruto extended his senses to confirm her claim. He relaxed his stance and returned his kunai into his pouch. Keeping a guarded eye on her, he said, "Alright, but one wrong move and I'll take you down."

She nodded, "Fair enough. I guess I should reintroduce myself. I am Taki, Sekirei No. 65. So, what are you doing out here sleeping, anyway?"

"Last night, I needed to blow off some steam, so I came here. I must have exhausted myself and nodded off after I was done. What about you? What are you doing out here and shouldn't you be a little more suspicious of an enemy?" he asked, keeping the focus on her instead.

He took in her whole form as he kept his wary eye on her. Her long grayish-white hair was perfectly symmetrical, her bangs parting in front of her face almost like two ribbons and ending at her collar bone, while the rest of her hair flowed down her back and parting much the same way as her bangs, while ending at her lower back. She was a few inches taller than him, and was garbed in an elegant while dress that started at her neck like a choker, but parted a couple of inches below that to reveal the inside of her cleavage and her midsection while coming back together at her waist. She wore a long-sleeved overcoat of the same color over her dress, giving her a sophisticated yet seductive aura.

Taki sighed as she responded to his question, "Well, while you're not a friend, I don't consider you an enemy, either. I'm just here to collect herbs to assist in healing Zabuza. I work for him and my only function is to make his mist."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "Heal him? I guess he's badly injured?"

"I'd rather not go into too many details about him; I'm sure you understand." Then she brought her finger up to her lips and looked at him with a flirty expression, "But I'll tell you anything you want to know about me."

Naruto had force down the blush she brought on. He shook his head and said, "It's a start. Why are you working for Zabuza?"

She shrugged, "He's all I've got. I don't have an Ashikabi, so I stick with Zabuza."

"I figured he was your Ashikabi," he said confused.

Taki turned up her nose and huffed, "Please! That brute is far too brash to be _my_ Ashikabi!"

Naruto was utterly confused now. "Wait, you don't _want_ him to be your Ashikabi?"

Taki clasped her hands and saw stars, "Of course not! I don't even like Zabuza! My Ashikabi will be handsome and kind. And he'll defend me to his last breath…"

Naruto sweat dropped and thought, '_She is totally delusional_.'

Taki continued while Naruto thought that to himself, "…and when he wings me, he'll scoop me up into his arms, carry me off to a nice secluded place and then he'll tear all my clothes off and pound me into oblivion with his wonderful meat stick!"

Naruto face-faulted at that last admission; particularly at the part she spoke of it as though it was the most romantic and wonderful idea in the world. As she finished talking she ended it with a longing sigh; she hadn't lost her starry-eyed gaze though.

'_Where the hell does she get this stuff?! The Make-Out books?!_' he thought to himself at the sheer ridiculousness of the very notion in this woman's head.

"But…" she seemed to come back down to earth as she finished with a regretful tone, "…sadly I haven't found my Ashikabi yet, so until I do I'll just survive and keep searching. You can be sure that the moment I do find my Ashikabi, I'll drop Zabuza like a bad habit."

Naruto laughed uncomfortably, both at her resolve in finding her Ashikabi and at her 'romantic' ideas of how her winging would proceed, "R-right…well, do you have any ideas about how to find your Ashikabi? If you want, I could help you and then you won't have to work for Zabuza anymore."

Taki put her hand on her chin and thought deeply. After several seconds she sighed and said, "Thank you very much for the offer, but I can't risk leaving Zabuza until I find an Ashikabi first," she seemed to grow worried before she continued, "I think I've been gone long enough. Any longer and they'll get suspicious; they really don't like me or trust me. If only I could gather the herbs faster…" she trailed off and started looking around as though a solution would jump out at her.

Naruto put on his foxy grin and said, "Tell me what you need and I can gather them in no time."

Taki opened her eyes in surprise. Intrigued, she gave Naruto the list. After memorizing it, he made his famous cross hand sign and twenty shadow clones burst into existence.

"Wow!" Taki said with a very impressed smile.

"Okay guys! Let's grab the beautiful lady what she needs!" Naruto ordered his clones, which immediately went to work with gusto and enthusiasm.

Taki watched with mild amazement as Naruto and his clones quickly gathered the herbs she came to collect. She couldn't help the small, grateful smile that crossed her face.

'_So there really are some men out there who aren't abusive or nasty. I…I think I like you…Naruto Uzumaki,_' she thought to herself as her heart started to beat just a little faster and her face became mildly flushed.

* * *

Only a few short minutes later, Naruto had gathered the herbs she needed and then some.

She looked at him with a smile and then a frown. Then she looked down sadly and asked, "Naruto, why would you gather herbs for Zabuza? He's your enemy, and he's…well, honestly, he's a monster."

Naruto chuckled and rubbed his nose, "I didn't gather these herbs for Zabuza, Taki."

Taki gave him a puzzled look, "What? But…"

"I didn't gather them for Zabuza…" Naruto interrupted her playfully, "…I gathered them for you!"

Taki's eyes grew wide as her blush grew stronger. Her heart felt like it almost stopped. Her body began to heat up, and her Sekirei symbol began to burn behind her neck. Realizing what was happening, she began walking towards Naruto slowly and unconsciously as her breathing began to quicken.

'_I've found you…_' she thought as she inched closer to him, '_…you're him, aren't you…Naruto Uzumaki? I can leave Zabuza now…_'

With that last thought, she immediately grew terrified and froze where she was. She had dreamed of the day that she could leave Zabuza Momochi's company, but now that the possibility was right there in front of her, she realized something: Zabuza would not simply let her go quietly.

'_If Zabuza finds out about this, he'll likely kill Naruto! I can't allow that to happen!_' she yelled to herself in desperation, all the while hoping to find a way to be with the man she now knew was her destined Ashikabi.

She bowed quickly before stating abruptly, "I must go, Naruto. I'm glad to have met you!"

She turned and began to walk briskly away, leaving Naruto just gaping in confusion while wondering what had just happened. She stopped suddenly and turned back to him. Walking back up to him, she took most of her herbs from her basket and handed the bunch to Naruto.

"Err, what are you giving these to me for?" he asked, genuinely confused at this woman's actions.

"From the look of things, you've pretty much picked this area clean of herbs. So, I thought…" she began to grow somewhat shy as she continued in a slightly more subdued manner, "…that if I only take what I need for today, it gives me an excuse to come back here tomorrow. So, could you hold on to those for me? I'd…like to keep meeting you here if that's okay."

Naruto's confusion gave way to a soft smile, "I'd like that, Taki; yeah I can hold on to these for you. I can even preserve them in a sealing scroll so they stay fresh. So…same time tomorrow morning?"

Taki gave him a radiant smile as she nodded and quickly went on her way, glancing back at him one last time before disappearing into the forest.

* * *

Naruto stood there for a few more minutes smiling, and then frowning, then scowling. Finally he broke out into a full blown death glare.

He turned and punched a nearby tree, sending spider web cracks through it. Then he said, "Damn Minaka! This shit is all his fault! The only reason she's working for that bastard is because she's been told finding and serving her Ashikabi is all that matters. I swear, when I find that bastard I'll break every damn bone in his body!"

Several moments later, his Sekirei walked out of the bushes.

He looked at them surprised and asked, "Something wrong?"

* * *

In a nondescript canyon in the Land of Earth, two figures stood over a still body.

The first was average height with shoulder length dark gray hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He had onyx black eyes and two diagonal scars under his eyes. He had a Leaf headband with a slash through it on his head.

The next figure had light, blue-grey skin, and gill-like marks on his cheeks. He had tall, spiky, dark blue hair styled like a shark fin, and small, round, white eyes with veins popping out. He also wore a Hidden Mist headband with a slash through it that covered his ears and was much taller than other. His most noticeable feature was the massive sword on his back covered in bandages, with a long light brown handle with a skull at the end.

Their shared features were full body black cloaks with red and white clouds and dark purple nail polish.

The shorter one spoke first in a flat, cool, emotionless tone, "Kisame, take him."

Kisame looked at his partner and grinned, revealing sharp, angular teeth. "Right Itachi, always giving me the heavy lifting," he said in a sly, confident tone.

Itachi just ignored him.

Kisame walked over to their unconscious opponent. A tall man wearing red heavy armor that covered the lower half of his face, his torso, arms, and waist. He wore a black gi over his armor and black pants under it. He had a large round hat on his head. He was Han, the jinchurikki of the Five-tailed beast, Kokuo.

Kisame placed his sword under Han's body and slung it over his back and the two left.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the duo noticed a messenger owl heading their way.

Kisame in confusion stuck out his arm and the owl dove hovered above his arm for a moment then perched. Kisame dropped Han and his sword to the ground, getting an irritated look from Itachi.

After reading the note, Kisame broke into a wide grin. He looked at Itachi and said, "Well look at that Itachi, guess Han's your problem now."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at his declaration.

Kisame continued, "An old comrade of mine, Zabuza Momochi, has requested my aid. He's havin' a real problem and wants some help. Go ahead and tell Leader I'm going to be late."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and said, "You know Leader doesn't like us to be late. However his ire will be yours alone."

Kisame grinned, picked up his sword and headed out to the Land of Waves.

Itachi sighed and grabbed Han by the shoulders and tugged nothing happened. He tried again, nothing. Itachi stood up and scratched his head with a sigh.

_'Well this is quite the predicament'_ Itachi thought to himself.

* * *

Back in the Land of Waves, Naruto looked at his Sekirei and asked, "Something wrong?"

Musubi stepped forward and spoke first, "We could…we could feel your anger through our bond. Are you okay Naruto?"

Naruto looked at them in surprise and then dropped into a true smile, a rarity for him. He told them, "Don't worry, I was just thinking about something that made me mad. I'm fine now don't worry you three."

He walked by them with his hands in his pockets and said, "Come on, let's get back before anyone worries."

* * *

Returning to Tazuna's house, Naruto walked in and slinked back from everyone's intense looks. Uncomfortably he laughed and waved saying, "H-hi."

Kakashi sighed and asked, "Something happen?"

Naruto shook his and grinned, "Nah, just thought about somethin' that made me mad. Anyway…" Naruto said with a big stretch and yawn, "…I'm dead tired from sleeping outside so I wanna rest." He was stopped by a hand grabbing his collar. He turned around and flinched.

Kakashi had him by the collar with an eye smile and said, "Nope. You're coming with us."

Naruto sighed, "Fine."

* * *

The group was later at a small clearing with three large trees.

Kakashi looked at the genin and said, "Anyone guess why we're here?"

Sakura was completely confused and Sasuke scrunched his nose in thought, coming up blank.

"Tree climbing?" Naruto asked, scratching his cheek.

"Come on moron, don't be so stupid," Sakura chided, getting a flick in the forehead from Homura who waved his finger in a derisive manner. Sakura pouted.

Kakashi eye smiled and nodded, then said, "Actually he's right, but there's one difference, you aren't going to use your hands."

Sasuke and Sakura face faulted.

Sakura was the first to stand and shouted, "How the hell are we supposed to do that!?"

Homura flicked her forehead again.

Sakura rubbed the increasingly large red mark in annoyance.

Sasuke looked at his sensei perplexed.

Kakashi looked at Naruto, who was un-phased and asked, "Am I to assume you know this exercise?"

Naruto didn't respond and instead walked forward towards the tree, and proceed to walk up the tree, to everyone but Kakashi's surprise.

Sakura became disheveled and asked, "Um, how is he doing that?"

Kakashi smiled and giggled perversely, "Well, since Naruto seems to have this exercise down pat, I'll let him tell you while I go, ahem, train."

He then walked away giggling like a mad pervert; leaving a frustrated pair of lightning users, an eyebrow twitching Naruto, and a confused Sasuke and Sakura. Sighing at his sensei's obvious tactic to go read his smut, Naruto dislodged from the tree and dropped to the ground.

He looked at his team and laughed embarrassedly and said while rubbing the back of his head, "Guess that means I'm sensei for a while."

Sakura clenched her fists at her side and screamed, "There's not a chance in hell we're calling you Naruto sensei!"

Homura instead of flicking her forehead looked at her sternly, making her remember their conversation last night.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_In their shared room, Sakura sat cross-legged staring at the ground in shame while Homura leaned against the door in frustration._

_When Naruto failed to appear that night, she went a tirade about how Kakashi was just letting him do whatever he wants. He did this while punishing her and Sasuke for doing similar things and generally just insulted the blonde. She was immediately reprimanded by a very frustrated and very irritated Homura who demanded to speak to her in private._

_And so she sat down glancing back & forth between the floor and Homura, until he spoke._

_"Sakura," he said and instantly her head snapped up. "Why do you hate Naruto so much?"_

_Sakura thought for a second and asked, "What kind of a question is that?"_

_Homura sighed and said, "Exactly what I asked. So, why?"_

_Sakura stared up into space for a minute and then shrugged, "Not sure, never really thought about it. I guess…it's because he's noisy, hyperactive and always getting between me and Sasuke or asking me on dates, well, until he got his Sekirei that is."_

_"And that's it?" Homura asked, digging deeper._

_Sakura scratched her cheek, "Well…mom did always tell me to not play with him and stay away from him when I was little, so I did."_

_"Bingo," he said, pointing at her._

_"Bingo?" she asked, pointing to herself._

_"Think about it, during the academy, he fawned over you. Doing anything and everything to get your attention, and all he really wanted was you to acknowledge him. Also, did your parents ever say why he was an outcast? Why he was viewed as a monster unworthy of the slightest form of compassion?" he asked, his eyes getting sterner and sterner with every question._

_Not only seeing his expression, but feeling his emotions through the bond, Sakura was about ready to crumble. Incapable of speech she just shook her head._

_"If they told you to jump off a cliff, would you?" he asked derisively._

_Sakura shot back, "Hey! That's not fair! This is totally different!"_

_Homura sighed again and asked, "Do you know why he's acted like such a goofball and an idiot?"_

_Sakura put her finger up and said, "He already told us, to hide his true potential."_

_"Do you know why he hid it, and that's not the whole reason either," he corrected._

_Sakura just looked at him confused and went, "Huh?"_

_Homura rubbed his temples and said, "You may be book smart but you have the common sense of a rock."_

_"Hey! That's mean!" she accused, pointing a finger at him._

_"You're one to talk," he said flatly._

_She scrunched back in disbelief, '_Did he really just say that!? I think I'd benefit from shutting up for now._'_

_Waiting for her to give a response and not getting one, Homura continued, "First, he did that because the council, including your mother I might add hates him. They see him as a plague on the village and look for every possible moment to either kill him or kick him out."_

_Sakura couldn't, wouldn't, believe that, "That's not possible, my mom doesn't just hate someone like that for no reason!"_

_"But she and the rest of civilian council do," he said, maintaining his stern look, and starting to regret his reaction to her._

_Sakura looked down in shame again, and asked, "Why?"_

_Homura sighed again and said, "Unfortunately it's not my place to say, if you want to know ask Naruto. At any rate like I said he hid his potential because if the council knew how powerful he was, they would demand his head on a pike."_

_Sakura was starting to tremble._

_'_Must be getting through, a little more and she should realize,_' he thought. Then he continued, "He also acted so annoying because he has no parents, he never did. They died when the Nine-tails attacked fifteen years ago, so he pulled his pranks and acted like a menace so the people would acknowledge him. It didn't matter if he was loved or hated, as long it validated his existence. You were also the very first person, aside from the Hokage to show him any form of kindness. So even after you started avoiding and pushing him away, he still did everything he could to be noticed. In fact now that I think about it, the only other person barring his Sekirei to show him kindness period, was this mysterious sensei of his. And if what Naruto says is true, he met and trained with this person from when he was eight until he was twelve and then he just vanished. So with all that can you blame him for being so energetic and annoying, and you even attack him at every turn despite the fact that he did all of that to get your affection."_

_Sakura had by that point, started crying realizing how cruel she had been to him and with only her mother; who already hated the blonde, as an example._

_Homura moved to the door to leave and gave a parting statement, "I'd think about one more thing too..." he paused, watching her reaction, "No matter what you did to him, punch him, insult him, or downright dehumanize him; he never once retaliated, not even once. So if I were you, I'd try to patch things up; if he doesn't already hate you that is."_

_Sakura looked at the door in shock, and then proceeded to cry into her pillow._

_Flashback End…_

* * *

Sakura finished her reminiscing when Naruto started speaking again.

"Well sensei or not, Kakashi told me to help you guys. So I will," Naruto said confidently.

Renewed vigor from Homura, she paid great attention to the blonde.

"This exercise is all about chakra control. You want to condense it in your feet so you can stick to the tree. It's about control because you need to use a specific amount of chakra. Too much, and you will shoot off like a rocket. Too little and you'll lose your grip." He pulled out two kunai, which Sasuke and Sakura noticed had an odd appearance, and gave them to the two. "Every time you fall off, mark the tree with that kunai and then try again."

Sakura nodded and began to walk, when Naruto stopped her.

"You'll probably want a running start at first," he said plainly.

She nodded and walked back.

Sasuke crouched down and bolted towards the tree, sending chakra to his feet. He took one step, then another, and one more. That's when the wood cracked and he slashed the tree and got blasted off.

Naruto looked at him and said, "That was good, but you used too much. Try a little less next time."

Irritated at the blonde acting so superior; Sasuke nodded begrudgingly and did as told.

Naruto looked at Sakura and waved, "You're not gonna climb the tree by standing around here."

She puffed out her cheeks and ran at the tree, albeit slower than Sasuke. She hit the tree and went twice as far as the raven-haired teen did before slipping off and slashed the tree. She landed and cheered quietly, then ran back to her starting spot and did it again.

* * *

They had been there, running up the trees for more than four hours, and by that time, Sakura nearly reached the top, but Sasuke was struggling at the halfway point, and it was angering him.

Naruto saw how angry he was and came up with a solution, "Hey Sasuke?"

"What!?" Sasuke snapped, then looked down, and said calmer, "What?"

Naruto gave the faintest hint of a smile and said, "I think I know why you're having so much trouble."

Sasuke glanced over to him halfway, trying to hide his expectant look.

"It's your reserves," he said flatly.

Sasuke looked at him completely and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Sakura dropped down at the same time and eavesdropped on their conversation, right next to them.

They sighed at her but Naruto continued anyway, "I mean your reserves are big. The more chakra you've got, the harder it is too control. I've done a few exercises myself to increase my control that weren't tree climbing. One of them was meditation, I can show you how; it'll be easier than trying to climb the tree, though you won't be able to move on until you can."

Sasuke thought for a minute and then nodded.

"Great," Naruto chirped and motioned Sasuke to follow.

Sakura joined them but was stopped by Naruto. "What?"

"You're more advanced at this than Sasuke, so the meditation wouldn't do much for you right now. Instead, you need to keep practicing until you reach the top, then I've got something else for you to do," he clarified.

Sakura nodded a little puzzled and went back to the tree climbing.

* * *

Kakashi watched all of this from a tree and couldn't surprise the wide content smile under his mask. He then thought, '_He really is just like you sensei. You would be proud._'

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto walked a little ways and then stopped.

Naruto sat down agura style and motioned Sasuke to do the same, which he did.

"Right, put your hands like this," he said. He put his hands close together, palms separated, with the ends of his fingers curled in slightly but not touching. "Now, imagine your chakra network and try to channel and condense the chakra into a ball in between your hands."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but completed the action, putting his hands next to each other and closing his eyes to envision his chakra network.

Naruto activated his chakra senses, an ability given to him by Kurama's chakra, and watched Sasuke's chakra flow from his hands.

Naturally enough it was released from his hands, but most of it just flowed outwards, while a small fraction sat in the middle loosely and lazily swirling around.

Naruto frowned at that since it meant despite everyone's boasting about how great he was; no one actually bothered to teach Sasuke how to properly mold chakra, simply assuming he was a genius and could do it regardless. '_So even positive prejudice within the village is a setback. Hopefully I can change them when I become Hokage_,' Naruto thought. "Hey Sasuke."

Sasuke barely made a sound, too deep in meditation to really respond, but responded enough that Naruto knew he heard him.

"Your chakra's just going everywhere. You're obviously good with the flow, now try to condense it into a ball in the middle," he instructed.

Sasuke gave a barely noticeable nod.

It took several moments, but the chakra started to flow more evenly. A large amount of it still escaped outwards, but the amount that was being condensed had tripled.

Naruto could see a small, shaky sphere forming in the center with more chakra flowing loosely around it. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

* * *

Meanwhile Sakura, under the watchful eye of a shadow clone, had just reached the top of the tree and was cheering. Unfortunately that had a drawback. The thin top of the tree collapsed and she fell off, plummeting to the ground.

"Sakura!" Homura and Naruto shouted. The clone began to run but Homura moved in a blur and slid along the ground and caught Sakura, slamming into the tree and injuring his leg.

Sakura took a moment to get free of her daze but when she did, she noticed Homura's pained expression and his hurt leg. She instinctively got off and tried to hold him up. "Homura! Homura, are you alright!?" she shouted, worried about him.

Shoving the pain down he nodded and said with a weak smirk, "We Sekirei are a bit more durable than you humans."

Sakura gave a relieved smile and then smacked Homura on the head with a scowl, "What if you got hurt real bad?"

Homura rubbed his bruised crown and said sheepishly, "I didn't really think that far ahead."

Sakura just sighed as Naruto's clone chuckled.

* * *

**And that's nine. I'm trying to have the relationships between team seven develop naturally but positively with a little nudging from the outside.**


	10. Powers Converge

Chapter X

**Hello everyone and here's chapter ten. This one was actually a little more difficult to write because I had three different directions to take this chapter. I eventually chose one I liked and stuck with it. Anyway, unless the character development takes longer than I expect chapter eleven should be the actual bridge battle.**

**gamelover41592: Not really, I'm just being inundated with ideas for this damn thing.**

**Strife666: Yes, the BBA. Thanks and here it is.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: Not really triple threat since Kisame and the Disciplinary Squad will be working with Zabuza. I wonder HMMMMMMMMMM! Anyway, here's dessert.**

**Jose19: That's the general idea. Yes, it will be difficult but I'm sure he can do it.**

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke's training had been progressing smoothly and surprisingly quickly. Sasuke had finished tree climbing in two days and Sakura in one. Both struggled with water walking, but Sasuke much to Naruto's surprise completed it first. Naruto had then discovered that Sasuke had secretly continued his meditation exercise.

Naruto's first instinct was to tease him, but Sasuke's fragile mental state convinced him otherwise. Naruto decided to teach the exercise to Sakura, but she couldn't concentrate long enough to complete so they just moved on.

The Sekirei had also started training as well. Homura trained with his flame control and decided to help Sasuke perfect his fire style jutsus. But quickly discovered it wasn't his natural affinity.

In response, Kakashi decided to discover what Sasuke's true chakra nature was.

* * *

"Well, any idea why I pulled you aside today Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, watching the straight faced genin.

Sasuke looked around a little before shrugging, "Something you want to teach me that Naruto can't?"

Kakashi smiled at how much respect Naruto seemed to have gained in his eyes, even if he did keep referring to him as 'the loser'. He eye smiled and said, "Sort of, or more like I'm better suited."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

Kakashi pulled out a small square of rough yellowish paper.

Sasuke pointed at it and opened his mouth to ask a question but Kakashi beat him to it.

"It's chakra paper," he said plainly.

Sasuke just continued to stare with a puzzled look.

Kakashi sighed and whined, "Didn't they teach you anything?"

"I thought that's what you were for," Sasuke deadpanned.

Kakashi's visible eyebrow twitched, '_The only thing I don't like is Naruto's sense of humor, it seems to have rubbed off on Sasuke a little. He's now proud and irritating, what a 'great' combination. I may be imprisoned before we're done here_,' he thought with irritation. Instead of voicing his thoughts he just sighed and said, "It's a special kind of paper that reacts to chakra. It responds differently to the different chakra natures. Fire nature causes it to burn, wind slices it, lightning crumples it, earth turns it to dust, and water soaks it." He finished by channeling some chakra into it, causing the paper to crinkle up.

Sasuke nodded and took a piece from Kakashi and channeled chakra into it. He raised an eyebrow when it curled into ball.

Kakashi was surprised, "It seems you have lightning nature chakra, and a strong chakra nature at that."

Sasuke was surprised; he never knew he had an affinity for lightning. Maybe now he could get a leg up on Itachi. That thought filled his mind; he broke out into a smirk, and nodded to Kakashi.

Said scarecrow narrowed his visible eye and thought, '_That can't be good_.'

* * *

Sakura was lying on the ground covered in dirt and scuff marks, a rarity for a fan girl. She was huffing and panting. Steeling herself she stood up on shaky legs and faced her opponent, Homura.

One of the things she had decided after Homura's lecture was that she couldn't remain as she was, a weak dependent fan girl since she would simply hold both Naruto and Sasuke back.

To that end, she started training with Homura to increase her hand to hand combat skills; she sucked, period.

Homura was one step shy of appalled at how weak she was. The problem wasn't her talent or her skills, those were top notch. The problem was her strength. Due to years of dieting to keep her thin figure, Sakura's body had almost no muscle mass, and it showed.

She knew all the right spots to hit, the way to use the attacks, but there wasn't any force behind the hits. Homura sighed and scratched his head in thought. "Sakura, this isn't going to work."

Sakura shook her head, "It…it has to! I have to get better."

Homura sighed again, "Your skill is fine, but you're too weak."

That line hit her like an Akimichi's Human Boulder. '_Am I, am I really…that weak?_'

Seeing the pained expression on her face, and feeling her emotions through the bond, Homura grumbled and went over to comfort her. "You might be weak _now_, but some physical training and you'll be fine."

"R-really?" she asked, reserved but hopeful.

Seeing the feeling in her eyes, Homura slinked back a little with a blush. He scratched his cheek and looked away, "Y-yeah. But I'm not the one that can do it. Naruto would be better at that."

Something seemed to click in her mind when he said that, "Where has he been anyway? Every day he shows up for an hour or two, does some basic lecturing and then vanishes for hours on end," she asked, completely confused.

Homura shrugged, "Don't know," he said plainly. He then motioned to Tazuna's house, "At any rate, let's head back. There are a few more training related topics I want to discuss there."

She nodded and followed close behind.

* * *

Naruto was sitting in the same field of flowers, which was now devoid of them, holding a scroll in his hand.

Some movement off to the side alerted him. His first instinct was to get defensive, but when he saw who it was he eased up, gave a soft smile followed by a big grin and then waved to the approaching figure. "Hey! Taki!" Almost every day since their first meeting four days ago they met at that field, Naruto giving her some preserved herbs to bring to Zabuza each time. His happiness was cut short when he noticed her pained expression.

He walked slowly over to her and put a hand on her cheek, causing a noticeable flinch. He pulled her face up and a little smiled at her. "What's wrong Taki?" he asked honestly worried.

She placed a hand on his and smiled contently, then said quietly, "I wish we could stay like this forever. But we've got a problem, several actually." She removed his hand and looked at him sadly with her eyes watering.

Naruto suppressed his irritation and pushed it to the back of his mind and asked, "What?"

She motioned to a spot to sit and he nodded. They sat down as Naruto unsealed a picnic set, complete with a blanket, a basket, and a makeshift cooler made with a scroll.

He sat down next to Taki and she wrapped her arms around him.

The area had been covered by a light mist, a phenomenon that had started happening during their second visit and occurred randomly at first. Eventually, during their third meeting, the mist was constant and got thicker over time.

Taki looked down sadly and started, "First, Zabuza's healing much faster than I expected. By the end of the week he should be fit for combat."

Naruto didn't speak and just let her keep talking.

"Also, he's started growing suspicious. It's been much harder to control my mist lately, even back at the hideout. He tried to get me to talk but I just told him it was exhaustion." She sighed sadly and continued, "I'm not sure he believed me and to make matters worse, your last battle scared him."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Isn't that…a good thing?"

She shook her head, "Not with Zabuza, he gets paranoid when he's scared. He called in for support from another of the seven swordsmen. A man named Kisame Hoshigaki."

Naruto looked up in confusion and reached into his pocket. He pulled a small black book and thumbed through the watched him in bewilderment.

After a few minutes he stopped and turned the book towards her, it was a bingo book. He pointed to a profile in the book and asked, "Is this him?"

Taki nodded solemnly.

"Let's see. Name: Kisame Hoshigaki, a rogue member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Wields Shark Skin, a large blade that devours chakra. Rank: S. Bounty: Forty Million ryo. Sounds pretty nasty."

Taki nodded, "He is, I remember one previous mission where Zabuza asked for his help. Kisame is even more of a monster than Zabuza, they don't call him the Monster of the Hidden Mist for nothing. Zabuza doesn't care about killing, he just sees it as part of the job; but Kisame loves it, he often takes missions without pay if he does enough killing."

Naruto was disgusted, "If you ask me, all these ninja swordsmen are psychotic brutes."

Taki chuckled mirthlessly at that, "Yeah, you're probably right." She then looked at Naruto with great concern, "But that's why I'm so scared. Fighting Zabuza would be hard enough. I'm not sure you could take them both on." She looked into his blue eyes and noticed something that astonished her.

They weren't filled with fear, or even apprehension. All she saw was determination and concern. Her cheeks flushed slowly, her breathing quickened and her heart rate skyrocketed. The mark on her back felt like a hot iron. She couldn't take it anymore.

She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and claimed his lips for her own, ravishing him with a deep kiss filled with love, ecstasy, and terror.

He could taste her lips on his. Cold, like Akitsu's, but they tasted like the air on a cold morning; it was Soothing with a minty undertone.

The mark on her back exploded with light and multiple pale, smoky wings came from her back. They flexed outward and seemed to ethereally pass through everything they touched.

They separated with a string of saliva between them.

Naruto's face erupted in a deep blush, steam poured out of his ears…and then he fainted.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Taki freaked out nervously and wildly shaking him trying to wake him up.

He just flopped around lifelessly.

* * *

At Tazuna's house, all of Naruto's Sekirei froze at once.

They could feel it; a new bond had just formed. Naruto had a new Sekirei.

They had varying reactions. Musubi was overjoyed; another Sekirei had just found who she believed to be the best Ashikabi in the world.

Akitsu didn't really care, as long as she wasn't pushed away from Naruto.

Uzume was irked, '_How many is he gonna get?!_' she shouted jealously in her mind.

* * *

Naruto found himself somewhere dark, with water dripping on his face. He finally stirred to consciousness at the sound of dull tapping.

He sat up and opened his eyes to find himself in a familiar place, the large mausoleum that holds Kurama's cage; but it was different.

He looked around and saw something he hadn't noticed before.

On the ceiling, starting from a large coil in the middle, several pipes filled with yellow chakra went out and into the rest of his mind.

He was about to follow and investigate when Kurama got his attention.

**"Naruto."**

Naruto turned around and responded, "What?"

**"It's been rather noisy in here lately,"** Kurama said with annoyance.

Naruto looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

Kurama pointed lazily to the new pipes on the ceiling, **"Those are the bonds you're forming with those 'Sekirei',"** he said with airquotes.

Naruto wondered why he used airquotes but decided it could wait. "Okay, why does that make it noisy?"

**"Because, their minds are connected to yours from those bonds, allowing their thoughts to flow in here with few limitations. They're a rather noisy bunch. Since I'm part of your mind thanks to the seal, I can tune out your thoughts. But not theirs,"** he said with growing irritation.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I don't hear anything."

**"That's because this is your mind. ****The bond filters it so you only get their emotionss; **I'm connected to it but immutably separate. Therefore, I don't have the same blockers that prevent you from hearing their thoughts."

Naruto scrunched his nose in thought and then scratched his head wildly, "Agh! I don't know what that means but I'm guessing basically I can't hear their thoughts because it's my mind, but you can because you're…seperate or something. Is that why you called me here?"

Kurama looked at him slightly puzzled, **"I didn't. You came here yourself after you winged that new Sekirei."**

Naruto put his hand on his chin and thought out loud, "New Sekirei…" his eyes snapped open, "Taki! Kurama, I need to get out of here!" He said that and quickly vanished from his mindscape.

Kurama frowned after he left.

* * *

He awoke in the real world to see Taki looking down on him. The sight made him chuckle.

Taki quirked an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

He smiled and said, "Déjà vu."

She giggled slightly and said, "Yeah, guess so." After that, she frowned.

Sitting up, Naruto asked her, "So I guess that means I'm your Ashikabi now, huh?"

She nodded silently with a downcast look.

Naruto smiled and put a hand on her cheek and said, "Look, it'll be fine. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

She looked at him worried and said, "Maybe, but even if you can beat Zabuza you can't defeat both him _and_ Kisame."

He laughed quietly and said, "You forget, I'm not soloing this. I've got all of my friends," he said with his fist clenched assuredly and a fire in his eyes.

His confidence made Taki smile, "I guess. Look, I have to get back to Zabuza. His attack is planned for the day after Kisame gets here. Which should be in three days; I'll see how long I can stall him."

Naruto stood quickly and spoke in a hurried tone, "No, Taki you can't do that. He'll kill you."

Taki shook her head, "No he won't. I just found you and you have yet to ravish this body of mine. So I can't die yet," she said seductively.

Naruto could only stare blankly as blood ran down his nose.

Taki laughed and pointed at him, "Naruto, your nose is bleeding."

He blinked several times and touched his nose. Then he quickly wiped it off on his sleeve.

Taki laughed again, this time more fully.

Naruto, seeing her laughing and feeling her joy through the bond couldn't stop himself from laughing as well.

The two stood there for several minutes, just laughing. Not because of some hilarious joke or funny occurrence, but because it was all they could do at the time.

* * *

Kisame was about two days away from the Land of Fire's port. He was walking down a dirt road when he noticed two presences nearby.

He grabbed the hilt of Shark Skin and got in a defensive stance, noticing that one of them was not only powerful, but smelled of blood. And lots of it.

Soon, two people came out from around the corner.

The first one was shorter than the other. She wore a kimono top with skin tight shorts, a red obi around her waist tied in the front and off to the side. She had waist length pink hair tied in a side ponytail with eyes that were a shade darker. She also wore red combat gloves and tall red boots. She had the countenance of a bubbly teenager but the stance of a seasoned fighter.

It was the other one that concerned Kisame and made Shark Skin tremble with excitement.

She wore a tight, short, black leather dress the extended to the middle of her thighs. She had a gray haori with the Sekirei crest on it, long black leather boots, a loosely tied leather belt and a sword in one hand. She had long light grey hair tied in a ponytail and narrow grey eyes. What Kisame noticed most of all was the bloodthirsty smirk she wore, very similar to his own.

The grey haired woman noticed him first and looked him over. Seeing his cloak she said, "You must be Kisame." She spoke with a confident and easy-going but barely contained sadistic tone.

Kisame narrowed his eyes and asked, "You're my backup I'm guessing?"

The grey haired woman smiled and said, "Yes, I'm No. 04 Karasuba. And this is No. 105 Benitsubasa."

Benitsubasa looked at Karasuba annoyed and said, "I can introduce myself thank you."

Karasuba smiled sweetly and said, "It's customary for the leader to introduce her subordinates."

Benitsubasa shrunk back with a little fear and just, "R~right, heheheh." She sighed when it seemed her leader's smile had vanished.

Kisame looked a little confused but ignored it. "If you're finished, we need to get going."

Karasuba just nodded and the three continued walking.

* * *

Taki had just gotten back to the hideout and opened the door to enter.

When she did, she was greeted by a healed Zabuza grabbing her by the throat and shoving her against the wall, then pinning her there with the Executioner Blade's shoulder rest.

Zabuza glared angrily at her but didn't say a word.

Taki trembled and looked at him with fear in her eyes.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and said, "I know where you've been Taki."

Taki immediately froze like a statue and lost the ability to speak.

Zabuza then continued speaking, "I was smart to have Haku follow you."

Taki glared hatefully at the ice woman and clenched her fists.

"I won't stop you," he said simply.

Taki looked at him in surprise as he removed his sword. "What?" was all she could squeak out.

Putting the blade on his back he said calmly, "I won't stop you from meeting with him. But I'll kill you if you try to hinder us during our battle on the bridge." His expression told her he meant it.

Taki started crying slowly and nodded weakly before dropping to the floor and sobbing.

"I will also kill that boy personally," Zabuza said.

She looked at him with terror and grabbed his pants leg and screamed, "No! You can't!"

Zabuza kicked her off and said, "I don't appreciate it when people take things from me. Depending on how useful you prove yourself to be during our battle I may let you live." He looked back at her with disinterested eyes before he and Haku left to prepare for Kisame's arrival.

Taki curled up and started crying, calling out Naruto's name softly.

* * *

Naruto was sitting in his room seething. He could feel it. he could feel Taki's utter despair through the bond, and he was pissed. His hands were starting to bleed, only to be healed by Kurama's chakra.

What made him even angrier was that he knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do. '_Wait_,' he thought. He just had an idea. To confirm it he calmed himself and went downstairs to talk to Uzume.

* * *

"Huh? Can we feel you through the bond?" she asked in response to his question.

Naruto nodded, "Yes. I was wondering if you guys can feel my emotions through the bond like I do yours, and if they have an effect on you."

Uzuma put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think. Why?"

Naruto responded succinctly, "I can't tell you yet. But I appreciate the information."

With that he decided to head back to his room, Kakashi and the others watched him leave.

Sakura was the first to speak up. "Don't you think he's been acting weird lately?"

Kakashi and the others nodded in agreement.

"He's also been disappearing a lot lately. Unfortunately his tracking skills are too good to track him unnoticed," Kakashi said, trying to figure out what the blonde's been doing.

"Why don't we just ask him?" Sakura added.

"Please, Naruto wouldn't just spill his guts like that. We're his Sekirei and even we don't know what he's been doing," Uzume responded.

Akitsu and Musubi nodded silently behind her.

Everyone sighed in defeat.

* * *

In his room, Naruto sat down and started to meditate, trying to bring up as much calming emotions as he could.

He spent several moments sitting completely still when he noticed something strange. He started feeling different but disregarded it in favor of contacting Kurama. '_Hey Kurama._'

**"_What?_"** he asked, annoyed that the blonde kept interrupting his sleep.

'_Do you ever do anything but sleep?_' Naruto asked.

**"_I spend every single day locked in a cage not much bigger than myself, and that is inside a sewer so small my head would barelyfit,"_** he said flatly.

'…_Good point,'_ he responded embarrassed.

**"_So, what do you want?_"**he asked calmly.

'_Right, I was wondering, can you transfer some of my emotions directly to the different bonds_?'

**"_That's a bizarre request, even for you,_"**the biju said with a confused tone.

'_Right, I know can you do it is the question?_' he said, growing impatient.

**"_Yes, yes. I suppose you want me to transfer those soothing emotions to your newest Sekirei?_"**

Naruto gave a mental nod.

Closing its eyes in concentration, Kurama started directing the emotions through Taki's bond.

* * *

In Zabuza's hideout Taki still lay on the floor, her eyes still watering slowly.

Suddenly, she felt something wash over her. It felt like an all-encompassing, soothing warmth that wrapped itself around her in a protective enclosure.

A small smile formed on her face as the feeling washed over her, she knew it came from Naruto. She didn't care how she just knew that he was doing it.

* * *

A smile tugged at Naruto's face as he could sense Taki's emotions starting to even out. It seems his last ditch effort paid off.

After a few minutes, when he could sense that she had calmed down completely; he cut the connection and decided to go back to training.

* * *

He was stopped however, when he opened the door.

Standing in front of him in the hallway was Inari. The boy said nothing and just started walking.

Confused, Naruto decided to follow.

* * *

Naruto followed the boy outside and found him sitting on the edge of the patio with a depressed look.

Naruto sighed and cursed his caring nature as he joined the boy.

Inari just glanced at him and didn't say anything.

This silence continued for several uncomfortable minutes. Despite being much more mature and level headed than when he was little, Naruto still didn't like the silence. So he decided to break the ice. "Hey Inari, aren't these stars amazing?" he asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Inari deadpanned.

Naruto laughed uncomfortably and said, "Alright not much of a stargazer I see. So, what do you like to do?"

Inari simply shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Naruto gave an exaggeratedly surprised look, "Egad! A kid like you has to have _something_ you like to do," he said as he flicked the boy in the forehead playfully.

Inari rubbed his forehead and said with a pout, "What was that for?"

Naruto shrugged, "Just something my sensei used to do whenever I was down. Whenever I was depressed because the villagers assaulted me or I just had an all-around crappy day, he'd make some random out of the blue statement, and then flick my forehead. It usually caught me by surprise and made me mad," Naruto reminisced with his eyes glazed over in nostalgia, "…But it always made me smile. He was the first person besides the old man or the ramen stand owners to acknowledge me as a person." He finished with an honest smile.

Inari's face was messed in confusion, "What do you mean when the villagers assaulted you?" he asked.

Naruto laughed mirthlessly and said, "I'm not real popular back in my home village. Most of the people there hate me and despise me for something I can't control. My sensei taught me that they aren't actually evil people, they're just scared and don't know any better."

Inari looked down in self-pity. He then said, "Hey Naruto."

"Hm?" he said mindlessly.

"Sorry," with heaviness in his words.

Naruto looked away from his stargazing and blinked a couple times, He then asked, "What for?"

Inari looked at him in a mixture of annoyance and pleading, "For…for saying those things before."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow but then straightened in recognition. He waved Inari's apology away and said, "Ah don't worry about it kid."

Inari looked at him in disbelief, "How…how can you say that?"

Naruto gave him a toothy grin, "I'm the one that should be apologizing, I snapped at you like that. You didn't say those things out of scorn or anger. You're just scared."

Inari was in disbelief.

Seeing that, Naruto continued. "You're mom told me. About Kaiza that is."

Inari looked down and said, "Oh."

"She told me how he just showed up one day and started treating you like a son. About how he was the town's hero for swimming through the river's raging current to seal the dam," he said, recounting the events Tsunami had told him.

Inari had tears licking at his eyes.

"She also told me how much he meant to you, especially after your real father left. She also told me…about how he died," he said sadly.

Inari was crying soundlessly next to Naruto.

"She told me how he died standing up to Gato and his thugs, not going back on his beliefs until the bitter end," Naruto continued proudly.

Inari's crying halted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Naruto with a kind, almost fatherly smile.

"You see Inari, most people talk about heroes being super powerful like the First Hokage or the Sage of the Six Paths. They were powerful, yes." Naruto gazed back at the stars with a distant expression. "But that's not what made them heroes. What made them heroes was their unwavering conviction to their beliefs. The fact that they stood up for what they believed in and were prepared to sacrifice everything for what was right. _That's_ what makes someone a real hero is. Someone who is ready to give up their lives or their honor in pursuit of what they think is right."

Inari smiled through his tears and started crying into the blonde's shirt.

Naruto just rubbed his back gently.

Kakashi watched from around the corner and couldn't suppress the errant tear that escaped from his eye. '_Minato sensei, you really would be so proud of him._'

* * *

**That's chapter ten behind us. I hope it wasn't too sappy or depressing, I just needed to get the emotions rising for the next couple chapters. In any event, don't forget to review and tell me what you think. That includes if you didn't like it, so long as you can form a coherent reason why. Good or bad, all criticism helps.**


	11. Breaking the Ice

Chapter XI

**Here's chapter eleven. Sorry for the long wait. I just recently got a beta, hunterslasher13, and had to wait for him to look over my story. It's not his fault either, he had to cruise through all the previous chapters before this one. Hopefully now that he's up to date future updates will be more timely since he works incredibly fast. Now to move on to reviewer responses.**

**ncpfan: Thanks, I was worried the chapter seemed out of place, though I think that honor should go to this one.**

**the-contradiction: If this was strictly canon Sasuke yes he would. But remember, my version of Sasuke is less evil. Plus I've got plans for his Sekirei which will make him killing them highly unlikely. As for Kiba, just wait and see.**

**sekyuu: No.**

**Arai kaji: I did it this way because it makes more sense for this to be a long drawn out waiting game rather than a quick grab'n'go like canon. This just makes more sense to me. Plus I thought the bit with Itachi was funny.**

**Markus-Antonius: That it is, I don't even want to think about it. Thankfully that won't happen.**

**gamelover41592: Same here, I think it's a scene that should be done more often since it builds Naruto as a character and pretty much any version of Naruto, childish and stupid, mature and smart, powerful, weak, all except the evil Narutos can comfort him in some way. I simply did it this way because my Naruto is more mature than normal.**

**Xenothewise135: I've never heard of tear troughs and always thought frown lines were somewhere else. But thanks for the clarification.**

**Well that's it for those.**

* * *

Within the Hidden Leaf Village Asuma Sarutobi was sitting on a bench in the village smoking a cigarette and drinking some sake. He wasn't normally depressed but he sure was today.

First, he's had a crush on his fellow jonin Kurenai Yuhi for months. He believed it was secret but anyone with two eyes and a chunk of meat between them could see it clear as day. He had tried asking her out several times and had been denied every time.

He had tried again today but was shot down rather rudely. He didn't know why, but she seemed to have a general distaste for men. That had got him good.

But that wasn't all. His team had just completed their thirtieth D-rank mission, a landmark for fresh genin teams, especially considering the team has only been active for two weeks. He had tried to brag to the Hokage, his father; but he had been reprimanded just like every other sensei bragging about his students.

For some reason, Asuma always hoped his father would treat him like a son, the same way he did Naruto. He gripped his bottle firmer at that thought. He didn't hate the kid like everyone else did, but he didn't like him either. That was mainly because his father treated the kid more like a son than he did Asuma himself.

He tried to not let it get to him, but Asuma couldn't help the bitterness that formed at his father. Even when Asuma was given one of the greatest honors a shinobi can get, to join the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, his father treated him like he would any other shinobi. Asuma knew why he did it, he was the Hokage. He couldn't play favorites, not even with his own son. But damn did it piss him off.

* * *

He had spent the majority of the night sitting on a secluded bench watching the stars and drinking and smoking.

With a sigh he decided to get up and leave when someone spoke up behind him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Asuma turned around and nearly choked on his own tongue.

Sitting there on one of the park's walls, holding a sake bottle in one hand and a sake dish in the other was a woman unlike anything he'd ever seen. He wasn't sure if it was the sake or she actually looked that gorgeous but he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Kazehana, wearing a short purple eastern dress which exposed her cleavage and abdomen with a crisscross pattern across the middle. She looked over to Asuma and smiled. She then said solemnly, "Just sitting out here, drinking and watching the stars pass by helps calm my nerves. How about you?"

He nodded with a small smile and said, "Yeah. It does. Asuma Sarutobi."

She looked at him and said, "That's a good strong name. Mine's Kazehana."

Asuma chuckled and said, "Sure fits."

She laughed at his comment and shook the bottle she had and asked, "Wanna share?"

He motioned to the spot next to him and she moved to sit down and poured him a drink.

* * *

They sat there drinking in silence for what felt like hours, just watching the moon pass overhead.

Eventually Asuma yawned and said, "Well, I'd better get going."

Kazehana smiled and said, "I enjoyed tonight."

Asuma nodded and said, "Me too. See you around sometime?" he asked.

She nodded and said, "Definitely."

He waved behind him as he walked away.

Kazehana looked up at the night sky and said quietly, "Maybe there is hope for this clipped bird after all." She then fell over unconscious on the bench.

* * *

In the Land of Waves, Zabuza was in his hideout strengthening his body after the week of inactivity while he recovered.

After Taki's recent elopement with the blonde Leaf brat, Zabuza decided Haku should tail her whenever she left.

* * *

Taki and Naruto also only met that last time because Taki had signaled she'd been followed.

Naruto wanted to disregard it but knew he would put the others in danger if he let his emotions get the better of him.

Zabuza momentarily stopped his training when the door to the hideout opened.

* * *

Zabuza frowned when in walked Gozu, the only remaining member of the Akuma Brothers.

Zabuza hadn't heard about that development and was thus confused when Gozu showed up alone. "Gozu, where's your brother?"

Gozu clenched his fist and spat out, "The blonde brat killed him. Listen, Zabuza-" he was cut off by the swordsman.

"I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no," he said simply.

Gozu became furious, "Why the hell not!? The bastard killed my brother! I should be the one to kill him!"

Zabuza chuckled at him and said, "You're far too weak to beat him. Instead, you'll handle that harem he travels with."

Hearing this, Gozu smirked under his mask and cooed, "Perfect."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow.

Gozu started laughing maniacally, "Perfect! I can do one better than kill the little shit! I can do what he did to me! I'll tear each of those bitches to ribbons!"

Hearing his subordinate's crazy declarations gave Zabuza a headache.

Taki on the other hand was furious. Not only was that little worm threatening her Ashikabi, he was threatening her sisters. If it weren't for her lack of combat abilities she'd kill him herself. Instead she resigned herself to creating a small cloud of mist around his head, effectively blinding him.

Gozu stood there flailing and ranting, Taki giggled quietly but stopped when Zabuza glared at her. She dispelled the mist right before Gozu slammed his head into a wall.

Zabuza just sighed and rubbed his temple.

* * *

Kisame and the others had just arrived in the Land of Waves and were heading towards the spot Zabuza said was his hideout.

Along the way they encountered Gato. He was accompanied by two of his bodyguards, an insane looking man with short hair and covered in scars and another lazy looking man with short blue hair and a beanie. He also had his nephew and two of his Sekirei with him, Toyotama and Ichiya.

Toyotama had become distant to Izumi in recent days. They had regular meetings with Zabuza's crew and she ended up spending time with Taki, who had recently started going on incessantly about her wonderful Ashikabi. At first Toyotama thought she was annoying; but she slowly became happy for and then jealous towards the silver-haired woman since she had found something Toyotama didn't even know she wanted, an Ashikabi that cared about her.

Izumi didn't, to him she was just an asset. He only cared about her as long as she was useful and often told her to keep her cares and concerns to herself.

Toyotama didn't like that, she hated it in fact.

But Ichiya didn't seem to care, she just liked fighting. She even goaded Zabuza into a fight several times. And even though she lost each time she usually had an expression of pure ecstasy on her face during the fights.

Toyotama was certain she was insane. Toyotama just wished she could leave her Ashikabi and only knew three ways for that to happen. Those were for her to lose, him to die, or abandon her. Even though it wasn't done consciously, Toyotama subtly made herself less and less desirable to Izumi. She stopped volunteering for errands he had, and often refused to fight when the opponent was obviously too weak.

Izumi found that annoying but knew she was very strong and just didn't want to waste her time. That was the only reason he kept her around at all.

* * *

At that moment, Izumi spotted Karasuba and Benitsubasa and huffed, he looked at Kisame and asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Gato looked equally disgruntled and said, "I was wondering the same thing."

Kisame grinned, showing off his shark-like teeth and said, "Zabuza's requested our help. So we're giving it to him."

Gato growled, "Well just make sure to tell that useless sack of shit that I'm not covering the costs to hire you."

Kisame scowled and said, "We may not be friends but I still respect Zabuza. So I suggest you watch yourself. After all, sharks love to eat swine," he said with a psychotic grin.

Gato stepped back several feet while sweating profusely. His swordsmen prepared to draw their swords but decided against it when Kisame released some killer intent.

* * *

The group arrived shortly after and met with Zabuza.

Karasuba simply looked out the window distant and thought, '_I can feel it. There's somebody here harboring great hatred, and it's making my body heat up_.' She changed her placid expression to a subtle demonic smirk.

Haku noticed this and adorned a worried expression but ignored it since Zabuza wanted to work with the woman.

"So, that's how the battle'll go eh?" Kisame said with a grin.

Zabuza nodded, "Yes, Gozu and pinkie will split the blond brat's Sekirei up. I will take Kakashi; you will take the fire Sekirei. Karasuba will take the Uchiha brat."

Karasuba spoke for the first time since the meeting started, "Uchiha brat? You mean Itachi's little brother?" she asked with a grin.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly.

Karasuba licked her lips and said, "So, this intense hatred is coming from him. I can't wait to see where he goes with it."

Gozu interrupted and said, "Listen bitch! That little brat helped kill my brother, so either you kill him or I will."

Karasuba glared at him and in one, swift, blurry motion, she sliced his head off his shoulders. It fell to the ground with his body in a spray of blood. Izumi looked at her with a twisted smirk and Gato simply smiled.

Gato then said, "Guess that means one less rogue ninja to pay."

Zabuza glared at the short man but decided it was too much trouble. He sighed and said, "With that…development we need to rearrange the battles. Karasuba, you'll handle the Sekirei and Haku will-"

"No," she said sharply. "I will fight Sasuke; you can pick someone else to deal with those pawns."

Zabuza sighed and said while scratching his head, "How about Toyotama?"

She looked at him and shrugged, "Fine."

Zabuza nodded and said, "We've still got some bugs to work out, so let's attack the day after tomorrow."

Everyone in the room nodded.

* * *

In a small clearing in the forest near Tazuna's house, the ground and trees in the area were charred and sparking.

Sasuke stood in the middle panting when Kakashi walked out from behind a rock with a sweat drop.

"Don't you think you overdid it a little?" he asked to his exhausted student.

Sasuke caught his breath and said with a smirk, "No, I think it's just perfect."

"Rrriigghht," Kakashi drawled out. "How 'bout we join up with the others?"

Sasuke nodded.

* * *

Sakura had just finished a spar with Homura, who was busy spitting out water.

"You've gotten better, you can even put out my fireballs with that jutsu," he said proudly.

"Yay!" Sakura jumped into the air happily.

Homura could only smile at her enthusiasm. "Sakura, let's take a break for now."

She nodded jovially and followed behind him with a big smile.

* * *

Naruto's training was giving him trouble. His elemental manipulation seemed to have stalled; he couldn't get any better than it was. He was hoping to be able to control his element freely but the best he could do was use his wind jutsus without hand signs.

His strength training had also hit a wall, he couldn't seem to get any stronger physically.

He slammed a tree with his fist and cursed, "Damn! Why can't I-" he stopped when a shadow clone dispelled and sent him its memories. "That's it!" he snapped his fingers. The clone had been studying sealing jutsu and had discovered the weight seals.

With those he could increase the resistance on his body, allowing him to continue his normal training but get stronger anyway.

He immediately began practicing the seals until he got them right and then applied them to himself. He channeled some chakra into them and immediately face planted.

He moaned and said, "Great, maybe ten times normal was too much." He then started straining to lift himself up.

* * *

After about an hour, Naruto had gotten to where he could walk with the seals on; albeit awkwardly and stiffly and with great effort.

His clones started dispelling in groups and when the last one was gone he deactivated his seals and went back to Tazuna's house.

* * *

The three groups arrived at Tazuna's house at much the same time.

Seeing them Naruto waved and said, "How's training going?"

Sakura pulled her hands close and said proudly, "Great! I've already learned one water style jutsu and have even gotten good enough to douse Homura's flames!"

Naruto looked at her awkwardly and then to Homura, who waved his hand to say 'Leave it alone'. He nodded subtly and asked Sasuke the same thing.

Responding with a smirk he said, "It's going good of course. I am an Uchiha after all."

Much to Naruto and Kakashi's dismay, Naruto's training seemed to bloat Sasuke's ego rather than deflate it. Though Naruto through careful conversational maneuvering, had discovered that Sasuke's new inflated ego was actually a coping mechanism for not being as strong as he wanted to.

Knowing this, Naruto acted like he didn't know since bruising the ravenette's ego too much could have the complete opposite effect his training is supposed to have.

* * *

Tired from the day's training (or from excessive reading of porn in Kakashi's case), Team Seven and the five Sekirei with them had all arrived back at Tazuna's house to sit down to dinner. They were all too tired to be tense about the upcoming battle with Zabuza that was sure to happen before long, and they were getting stronger, their teamwork better. Spirits were starting to run high, despite the anxiety of waiting for combat to come.

Tsunami was a great cook, especially considering she didn't have much to work with given the overall state of the Land of Waves. Before long, Naruto and the others were happily eating dinner, and Naruto found himself musing at just how sumptuous of a meal Tsunami could make; when an abundance of food and other cooking agents would be available.

His musings were interrupted as he was brought into the conversation going on at the dinner table. Topics ranged from the kinds of things that Tazuna and family were going to do after Wave was free; to what Inari wanted to be when he grew up, to what Team Seven and the Sekirei would do once they got back to the Leaf. Through it all, he began to detect a vague discomfort just on the edge of his consciousness. As the conversation continued, the uncomfortable sensation grew stronger and stronger, and Naruto could tell that it was not his own. It didn't take him long to identify the emotion he was detecting – it was loneliness.

At first he wondered if it was Taki who was lonely, but he could sense the almost misty feeling that came with her emotions. Taki was feeling sharp focus on something – she was probably concentrating on some task that Zabuza told her to perform. He realized that with the loneliness came an almost…icy feeling as well, helping him to identify which of his Sekirei was feeling this loneliness bordering on isolation.

He looked to his left to regard Akitsu. She was in her normal, outwardly-emotionless, and docile state; she wasn't participating in the conversation, but just eating quietly. He could see her eyes flitting this way and that on occasion. It was almost as though she was hoping that someone would remember she was there. The loneliness began to couple itself with discouragement and mild hurt, as though her heart just felt…heavy, as if weighed down. Naruto discretely placed a hand on her knee, causing her eyes to widen slightly before she turned to regard him.

With a single glance, he was able to convey to her that he wanted to talk to her alone once dinner was over. With a smile, he nodded to her.

Her face flushed at the gesture before she gave him an almost unnoticeable smile of her own before nodding to him in gratitude.

* * *

Once they had all finished their meal and helped Tsunami to clear the table, Naruto glanced at Akitsu, who caught his gaze. He motioned towards the back door with his head and walked in that direction, prompting her to follow.

She followed him outside to the end of the pier that their house led out to and sat down.

Then he patted the spot next to him.

Akitsu reservedly sat down in the spot indicated.

The two spent several minutes in silence, with Naruto glancing at her, and Akitsu simply staring out at the water that was reflecting the light of the moon, causing it to dance and break in ripples and waves.

Realizing that Akitsu would not start this particular conversation, Naruto asked, "Akitsu, what's wrong?"

Akitsu slowly turned to look at him, then back to the water and said, "Ah…nothing."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "I can tell you're lonely, Akitsu. I can feel it through the bond, and I know loneliness very, very well. Please, talk to me."

That comment made her hang her head in sadness. She answered, "Ah…I haven't had much time with Mas…err,with you since you winged me."

Naruto sported a sad smile and said, "Yeah, I really am sorry about that. Things have been kinda busy lately. Mind telling me what's bugging you in a little more detail?"

She looked at him with a small smile and said, "You spend so much time with the others. Laughing and having fun…" she trailed off as her expression saddened as she finished, "…but I just follow you silently, waiting for orders."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Yeah, you do that, don't you?"

He noticed her saddened expression and suddenly felt foolish. He knew better than to make jokes like that, especially considering that Akitsu had severe abandonment issues, and was only now learning how to experience life on an even playing field with his other Sekirei. Sometimes she still felt broken, even though she wasn't from a physical standpoint anymore. Naruto vowed to himself that he would be more sensitive to her feelings and situation, unique as they were.

He put his hand on her knee just like he had at dinner, bringing her gaze to meet his. Once he had her attention, he apologized with a contrite smile, "I'm sorry, Akitsu. That comment was in very poor taste. Please forgive me."

Akitsu's eyes went as wide as Naruto had ever seen them, while her mouth went agape.

He could feel the shock that Akitsu was emanating through the bond. Had she never been given an apology for anything? Had she never expected to get one from him or anyone else?

Naruto continued, "I'm guessing that you feel left out, is that it?"

Her eyes began to water just enough for Naruto to tell that his concern for her touched her. Looking back to the water, she nodded slowly and said, "Ah…yes, that's what I feel."

Naruto scratched his cheek and said, "Well, do you want to spend some time with me…you know, laughing and having fun like the other girls do?"

Still staring at the water, she answered, "Ah…I…desire that, yes."

"Well, why didn't you just ask me?" he asked with patient understanding.

She looked at him in confusion, "Ah…well, ah…"

'_There's that pause again. Must be a tic,_' he thought, noticing how often she paused during speech.

"But I am your Sekirei," she said plainly.

His head cocked to the side and he raised an eyebrow and said, "And? Since when does that mean you're not allowed to ask me to have fun with you?"

She looked down again and held her hands to her chest and said, "I am…your Sekirei. My purpose is to serve you as my Ashikabi. I need only request what is necessary."

Naruto felt it again - his ire toward Minaka. He sighed in aggravation, releasing his tension so that Akitsu wouldn't feel as though she was the object of his aggravation. He said to her in a patient, calm manner, "You're my Sekirei, yes. But that doesn't mean you're my servant."

She looked at him and tilted her head to the side in confusion, her eyes narrowed into a thoughtful frown.

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer and said, "How do I put this? I guess…the bond between a Sekirei and Ashikabi, to me at least, isn't a bond of master and servant. It's so much more than that. It's…like a bond of close friends, family, loved ones…all rolled into one, but…even that doesn't explain it sufficiently."

He looked at her hopefully but frowned when she still didn't seem to understand. Sighing, he simplified it by saying, "Basically, you're not my servant, you're my friend, you're a loved one, and you're my family. And loved ones - they do things for each other; they give and take."

Seeing that she was still trying to grasp what it was he was telling her, Naruto decided to drive the point home by telling her what it meant between the two of them, "Akitsu, I want to give just as much to you as you want to give to me. Meaning if there's ever anything you need, or simply want, feel free to tell me, and I'll do my best to give it to you."

A look of reserved shock came over her face. She had always been told by her adjustor that a Sekirei's purpose was to serve their Ashikabi's every whim and to do so without question. But right here, right now, her Ashikabi was essentially telling her that was wrong. He was telling her that he would do as much for her as she was willing to do for him.

Nervous, Akitsu blushed and asked, "Then, could…could we go and…see the town together…tomorrow…just the two of us?"

Naruto thought about it and shrugged with a smile and responded, "I'd love to do that with you, Akitsu. I've already made a few trips into town with Tazuna and there isn't much, but they've got some pretty nice restaurants that Gato hasn't completely pilfered or bled dry, and there are also a few good places to relax. So how about after breakfast tomorrow you and I go into town and have some fun? You want to make a day of it?"

She looked at him with a wide smile, wide for her anyway, and nodded with a blush. She then wrapped her arms around his and snuggled close to him.

Though to Naruto's dismay, or pleasure, this had the added effect of pressing his arm right between her breasts. And because he was wearing a t-shirt and she wore such a revealing kimono, he could feel every bit perfectly. As a result, his face blushed up a storm and it took every ounce of will power he had not to rocket off into space with a nosebleed.

He was about to make this point known when he looked down and realized Akitsu had fallen asleep. All he could do was smile sweetly and went back to stargazing, and trying to ignore the incredible sensation he was getting from her rhythmic breathing. Though if the tightening of his pants was any indication, it wasn't working; he just sighed and said quietly, "Why me?"

* * *

The next morning, Akitsu sat next to Naruto with a near unnoticeable smile on her face while they ate breakfast. Everyone prepared to go out training, but Sasuke became confused when instead of wearing training gear, Naruto had donned more casual clothing.

He walked up to the blond and asked, "You skipping training today?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Basically. I promised Akitsu I'd take her around the Wave Village today, so I'm going to be busy most of the time."

Confused and hoping for a spar, Sasuke grunted in irritation but nodded nonetheless and headed out with the rest.

Akitsu walked up to Naruto and he reached for hand and asked, "Ready?"

She nodded and took his hand. With that, the two left the house and made their way into town.

* * *

Naruto led her to the tourist district – the one area of town that Gato left untouched, as he knew that if this district went under, the country would be of no further value to him as everything else would also completely dry up.

The first place Naruto brought her was a clothing store, where she spent several hours trying different outfits.

She had selected a couple of dresses, as well as some shirt and pants/shorts ensembles, all with matching shoes, but she decided to leave the store in a sexy, sleeveless off-white dress with black accents, including a sash around her waist, causing the dress to hug her body above the waist, while flowing freely below it and ending mid-thigh. She wore matching high-heel shoes, also in an off-white color.

Naruto couldn't help but stare at her for several minutes before telling her, almost breathlessly, just how beautiful she looked.

Naruto also bought himself a few new outfits, and left the store wearing a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearms, with khaki slacks, a brown belt, and brown snakeskin loafers.

Akitsu blushed rather heavily herself upon seeing how dapper Naruto looked when he cleaned up. Naruto paid for everything, and they left the store hand in hand once more, almost giving off the appearance of a glamour couple.

From there, Naruto brought her to a boutique where he had the cosmeticians doll Akitsu up by applying some foundation and blush to her face, a dark pink gloss to her lips, and mascara and eye shadow to her lashes and eyelids. To say that Akitsu was stunned at the woman she saw staring back at her was an understatement. She almost started to cry – she had never thought of herself as beautiful before, and to see such beauty in her own reflection had been slightly overwhelming for her.

Naruto smiled and bought her all of the cosmetics she would need to duplicate the look should she ever wish to do so.

They decided to stop for lunch in a small seafood restaurant. Both of them enjoyed their meals, though Akitsu still remained somewhat quiet. She would always speak when spoken to, but initiating conversation was something she either didn't want to do, or didn't think to do.

Naruto made a note to himself to help her with this as he paid the bill and led her out of the restaurant to continue their date.

* * *

It was Akitsu who stopped Naruto and brought him into a pet shop that they passed by, and Naruto discovered Akitsu's love of all things small and furry. To his surprise, she had a passion for foxes.

Naruto wasn't sure what to think of that but Kurama made sure to tease him mercilessly about it.

After leaving the pet shop they spent a good two hours just strolling along the waterfront boardwalk hand-in-hand, just perusing the windows of the different booths and shops while talking to each other about random things.

Naruto was beginning to succeed in his attempts to get Akitsu to speak on her own initiative, as she would comment on things that caught her eye, often leading into her asking Naruto some basic questions about himself.

Naruto smiled at this, as she was the first of his Sekirei that was actually trying to get to know him by talking as opposed to relying solely on the bond.

* * *

The last place the two of them actually stepped into was a small novelty store on the west end of the tourist district.

The store sold random objects ranging from strawberry-shaped shinobi pouches to specialized perfume bottles that were shaped like famous landmarks.

Akitsu was thoroughly enjoying herself looking at all of the rare oddities. She made a point of mentioning to Naruto everything that caught her eye, with far more enthusiasm than Naruto could ever recall seeing from her, though only those who knew her would be able to tell.

Naruto couldn't help but find this endearing and simply went with it as she perused the shop.

As they browsed the store's wares, one item seemed to catch her eye above all the others. It was an old set of earrings shaped like snowflakes that had the Uzumaki swirl in the middle. Akitsu simply ogled the items in wonder.

"Wow…" Naruto said breathlessly, mainly in response to Akitsu but surprised himself, "…these old earrings are actually a testament to an old alliance the Land of Snow and the Land of Whirlpools had nearly forty years ago. Do you like them?"

She turned to him, smiled, and nodded…rather quickly, Naruto observed.

Naruto then grabbed them and said, "Then they're yours."

They left the store with Akitsu holding her newly-purchased earrings and smiling contently at them.

* * *

The two of them eventually made their way to a park and Naruto set up a picnic area. He looked at Akitsu with a smile but then frowned when he noticed she still didn't have the earrings on.

"Don't you want to wear them?" he asked, wondering if she only bought them because he seemed to like them.

She nodded and said, "Ah…yes, I just don't have a mirror to use to put them on with."

He chuckled, his concerns sent away, and said, "Alright, here, let me."

She handed the earrings to him and held her hair away from her ear on her right side. Naruto gently pushed the earring into the pierced hole and attached the lock to hold the earring in place. They repeated the procedure with Akitsu's left ear.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction at his work when he was done.

When he looked back to her face, his breath caught in his throat. Her face had a light dusting of pink that blared like sirens on her pale skin, and her eyes were half-lidded, but not in her normal bored expression. He gulped at the way she caught the light of the setting sun as it seemed to surround her, giving her a fiery-orange luminescent glow.

"You…" Naruto began as he blinked, unable to make his tongue shape the words in his mind.

"Yes?" Akitsu gently prompted, leaning forward as her eyes opened just a little bit.

"You look…heavenly," He breathed out at last, finally regaining full control over his power of speech.

Akitsu to Naruto's surprise, smiled wide at his compliment. Her eyes began to water. Through the bond, she could feel his amazement at how she appeared to him at that moment. She could feel his love for her – that special love that was so much like his love for his other Sekirei, but so different, as well. She knew that it was her place within his heart, the place that belonged to her alone, and would never be supplanted by another.

At last, her eyes shed their tears as she asked, "Why do you love me so much?"

"Because I know you…" Naruto gently answered her as he brought his fingers to her face, "…I know your pain, your desire to be loved…purely, and without condition. I know you so well…because your pain is my pain, your desire is my desire…" he began to slide his fingers forward against her cheek, bringing his hand to rest upon it as she closed her eyes and leaned into it, placing her hand over his as she held it to her face, "…and most importantly, your joy is my joy."

They unconsciously came closer together as their faces drifted towards each other. Naruto closed his eyes as he drew closer to the beautiful Sekirei's face. Their lips were about to touch and he could feel the heat rising through his body like a flame.

Akitsu felt her body growing hotter as well.

Their lips caressed each other gently, and then locked together. This kiss was different than the chaste kisses they had shared up to now – they both knew it would be.

Both of their reservations and hesitations about giving themselves to each other now gone, Naruto slowly and gently pushed his tongue into her mouth, running it across her teeth.

Akitsu trembled slightly at the contact, but immediately opened her mouth and gently embraced his tongue with her own. It wasn't a fight for dominance; it was a gentle, sensual dance that would have brought a tear to the eye of anyone who might happen to stumble upon them and watch.

Naruto brought his arms around Akitsu's shoulders and across her back, gently bringing her body into his own.

Akitsu brought her hands up to Naruto's face and began caressing it before strumming her fingers through his hair. Both of them moaned softly before Akitsu's icy wings sprouted from her back with an even greater exuberance than before. Her wings actually grew so large that they forced the food and drinks behind her over to the ground, scattering them all over the surrounding area.

At that moment, however, they didn't care. At that moment, the only thing that existed to them was each other, enveloped as they were in their intimate, sensual kiss.

Akitsu could feel the depth of Naruto's love for her not only through the bond, but in his kiss as well. Both sensations seemed to make the love she felt from him that much more pronounced. She could say that for the first time ever, she didn't feel alone at all. She had no fear that he would abandon her, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would regard her as his greatest treasure until the day he died – just like he would his other Sekirei. She belonged with him. She had a place in his family. She had a place in his heart, and he would make certain that she knew that.

Eventually the two separated for air, with saliva stringing between them. They sat there catching their breath, both of them sporting intense blushes. Akitsu spared passing glances at her Ashikabi – her one true love - while Naruto just looked at her, abashed and rubbed the back of his head, though his eyes were filled with love.

He gave a warm smile and asked, "Does that answer your question?"

Akitsu put a finger up to her lips and said quietly, "Ah…yes, it does. And…I love you just as much as you love me…Naruto."

Naruto smiled knowingly as he answered, "I know you do. I never doubted that. If it's important to me that you know how much I love you, Akitsu. I'd give my life for you…" Akitsu gasped at his admission, "…for each of you. I'd go to the ends of the earth if that's what it took to make you happy."

Akitsu smiled tearfully once more, "Ah…I assure you, Naruto…you don't need to go that far."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly at that. Upon hearing Akitsu's growling stomach, they looked around and took notice of their food.

"Guess we'll need to eat at a restaurant for dinner, too, huh?" he asked, again sheepishly, as none of the meal that Naruto had brought had survived the emergence of Akitsu's wings.

Akitsu just nodded with a smile before they cleaned up their mess and left to find dinner at another restaurant.

* * *

Naruto and Akitsu had finally decided to make their way back to Tazuna's house after dinner.

Naruto was walking through town holding Akitsu in his arms in a bridal carry.

Akitsu leaned contently into her Ashikabi's chest as she allowed him to carry her, both of them still in the clothes they had bought earlier.

"Ah…thank you so much for today…Naruto. I needed this…more than I realized," Akitsu expressed gratefully.

"Of course, Akitsu. I'm glad we got to do this today, because I want our bond to grow, too," Naruto answered honestly.

"And do you feel it has?" she asked expectantly.

"By leaps and bounds," he answered immediately and warmly.

"Yeah…me too..." Akitsu trailed off, her voice getting weaker as she began to fall asleep in Naruto's arms.

* * *

By the time Naruto arrived at the front door of his temporary home, Akitsu was fast asleep, exhausted from the activity and the novelty that the day had brought to her.

'_Man, I sure hope we get home first. Otherwise this is going to be real awkward_.' This thought passed through his head several times until they reached the house. He took a big a breath and then grumbled.

Everyone was sitting at the table eating dinner.

Kurama was trying and failing to contain his laughter at the blonde's predicament and taunted, **_"You were saying."_**

'_Shut the hell up_,' he retorted angrily.

He walked in and as luck would have it, stepped on the loudest creaking board in the house. This meant that every single eye immediately shot to him and the sleeping Akitsu.

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and said, "Um…yo."

Most everyone was confused, but Uzume, Kakashi, and Tazuna all sported sly grins. Slightly knowing but likely exaggerating what happened.

Uzume wrapped an arm around his shoulder and whispered, "You gotta give me all the juicy details bro."

Naruto shivered, not just from what she said, but also from the way her breath snaked across his ear. Thanks mostly to his sheer embarrassment and partly to an intense degree of self-control, he didn't have to commit seppuku as a result of his pants shrinking and immediately shot off to his room before they could. Huffing and panting against the door when he got there.

He set Akitsu down on the bed, careful to not disturb her, then slumped to the ground against the door with a dark haze over his face and muttered, "Why me?"

* * *

The next day was the day when Zabuza would attack Tazuna so everyone did their best to prepare for the incoming battle. Their preparations had been turned up when Naruto told Kakashi about the fact that Kisame and two other Sekirei would be joining.

When Kakashi asked who, Naruto told him that Taki didn't know so she didn't tell him.

Kakashi accepted that answer and they had their duties split up. Uzume and Homura were told to stay at Tazuna's house to guard and because they would have to fight that much harder against water style attacks.

Though every male in attendance was forced to contain their nose blood when Uzume appeared in her battle attire.

Even Sasuke looked at Naruto and thought, '_Lucky bastard_.'

* * *

The group traveled there with Tazuna between them in a tight formation.

The construction of the bridge was nearly finished partly due to Naruto's insane number of shadow clones he let Tazuna use as grunt labor. As a result, there was barely twenty feet between one side and the other. This meant all that was needed was another couple days of construction and they would have finished, several days they obviously didn't get.

When they arrived, Tazuna paled and ran towards his crew. Most were either dead or incapacitated.

Tazuna went over to one of the only conscious workers and asked, "What happened here?"

The man coughed and weakly answered, "Monsters, they were all…monsters. Everyone was slaughtered, I only escaped by…by sheer luck." He hacked several more times before falling unconscious.

Naruto stepped forward and sent out a pulse of chakra, checking for opponents. He found them, all of them.

* * *

The first three he recognized as Zabuza, Haku, and Taki. There were three on the left that he couldn't identify, but assumed the one closest to Zabuza was Kisame due to the massive quantity of chakra. The others he couldn't identify but could the remaining four were all Sekirei. Though he noticed one had slightly more erratic chakra than the others, which likely meant she was unwinged.

Adding to that was the intense stench of blood he got from that one, and the information he was given on Karasuba, he assumed that one was her.

There was a thick mist pervading the area and Naruto could tell by the chakra it contained that it was Taki's.

He turned to Kakashi and nodded.

Kakashi did the same and signed some instructions, 'Sakura, guard Tazuna. Sasuke, Naruto, divide the enemy and engage. I'll take Zabuza.'

They all nodded and went to their roles.

* * *

Naruto ran into the mist and quickly met head on with a person in Hidden Mist ANBU gear. He 'tsk'ed and said, "You must be Haku."

She nodded and pulled out several senbon, then said, "I do not wish to kill you, but you are a roadblock to master Zabuza's plans and must be eliminate. If you stand down now I won't attack."

Naruto responded quickly, "Tch, not interested in surrendering to him."

He was about to rush her she flashed several hand signs and said, "Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors." Multiple body sized mirrors of ice formed in a dome around him. Haku then stepped into one and projected herself into the others.

"Damn, this is bad," Naruto cursed as Haku not only projected her appearance into each mirror, but her chakra as well. Making it nearly impossible for him to decide which was the real one.

* * *

Sasuke ran into the mist and stopped when a flash of silver crossed his path. He jumped back quickly but cringed when a cut formed on his cheek and dripped blood. He quickly wiped it off and got into a battle stance when Karasuba stepped into visible range.

She laughed darkly and licked the tip of her blade and said, "You seem rather powerful, I can only hope you don't bore me. I'd love to see some of that hatred you have buried deep inside your heart. I want to see it released onto this battlefield and to fill my body with ecstasy."

Sasuke cringed and thought, '_Shit. She may be crazy but she's obviously skilled with that sword. This isn't going to be easy._' He got into a battle stance with a reverse-gripped kunai.

* * *

Hibiki and Hikari walked into the mist and jumped back when a large object passed by them. Hibiki looked up tense and Hikari looked up annoyed and saw Kisame holding his sword on his shoulder with a big grin.

He then said, "Two at once. Lucky me," he chortled as he unwrapped a portion of his sword, revealing dozens of large, blue, shar, scale-like protrusions facing down on the sword.

Benitsubasa walked up beside him with an irked expression and complained, "Hey sharky! I'm still here!"

Kisame sighed and said, "Don't remind me."

The pinkette just growled at him.

Hibiki immediately realized that Kisame's sword would act like a cheese grater and told Hikari, "Careful, don't let his sword hit you or slice you to pieces."

Hikari nodded and started charging electricity at her fingertips.

* * *

Kakashi walked slowly into the mist and stopped when Zabuza came into view.

"Well, shall we begin where we left off?" Zabuza taunted.

Kakashi nodded and got into a fighting stance as Zabuza unsheathed his sword and swung it around several times before bringing it backwards.

"Hopefully that annoying fire user won't get in the way this time," Zabuza said calmly.

Kakashi responded in an equally conversational tone, "Don't worry, it's just you and me."

Zabuza smirked under his bandages and said, "Perfect."

* * *

Toyotama and Ichiya approached the group and were about to leave when Hikari and Hibiki approached from the mist.

"No. 88 Musubi, I'm a fist type!" she announced her name and number.

The others responded in kind.

"No. 07 Akitsu," she said in her usually bored tone.

"No.16 Toyotama." She said introducing herself. Toyotama was tall and had long green hair and blue eyes. She wore a white and blue belly top that revealed a lot of cleavage and had the Sekirei crest just above her left breast. She also wore long dark gloves and long brown stockings held by a garter over her bloomers with long dark boots. She wielded a long red spear.

"No. 18 Ichiya." Ichiya said. She had dark skin and short black hair and dark grey eyes. She wore a yellow and purple leotard that wrapped around her and was held together by a ring just above her navel, and exposed portions of her midriff, sides, arms and outer part of her thighs. Lastly, she wore long black boots and short black fingerless gloves. She used no weapons.

* * *

With all the fighters in place, the battle on the bridge had begun.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun. It's time for the conclusive battle in the wave. This is likely going to take up multiple chapters and that's fine by me. But I'm going to try and keep it from getting dull by not focusing on each fight for too long, except for when each is nearing there conclusion. Or, you know what? You guys tell me, do you want to see one fight as a whole then on to the next or see the fights spread out?**


	12. Battle on the Bridge

Chapter XII

**Here's chapter twelve. Sorry it took so long, my beta, hunterslasher13 took a lot longer than usual. I've decided to upload it as is, if he gets the edited version back to me I'll update this chapter with that but for now it's unedited. It took me some time to decide but I eventually went with showing each battle in its entirety, starting with the least important to the most important. Hopefully it's not too boring for everyone to read. Well, can't think of much else to say aside from please review and let's go to reviewer responses.**

**ncpfan: I didn't originally consider that, but that could be fun :) You have no idea how big a help you are for my romance scenes. **

**seeker of true anime fan fic: Fate always plays deus ex machina and water is usually just around the corner. And betrayals always happen at the last minute. Smoke is usually accompanied by wind.**

**Strife666: Thanks.**

**Jose19: Thanks, I actually had some outside help with that though. As for the comment on canon Sasuke, I totally agree. Until now I've like canon Sasuke but now I can only facepalm. As for my version of Sasuke, don't expect anything that stupid. Speaking of which, what did you think of the most recent chapter and Sakura's new ability? I'm not sure what to think.**

**Silvermane1: No, after Doto took over he broke it.**

**TheLastNanaya: You didn't really expect Naruto to be the only Ashikabi did you?**

**goichi: Don't worry. Once they return there'll be about a month until the Chunin Exams so there will be plenty of bonding time.**

**I recently went back and watched one of the new released dub episodes of Naruto and now hate myself. I missed a golden opportunity to utilize Diver in Tsukiumi's dream sequence. :( Hopefully in the future I'll make connections like that sooner.**

* * *

In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Miya was cleaning up around the dining/living room and noticed a strange guest out on the veranda.

She walked back and looked at her guest and said, "My, my, isn't this a rarity for you Kazehana. Why would you be here now? To siphon some of my sake? Or to beg for money? Maybe even to…"

Kazehana smiled weakly as Miya went through a laundry list of different ulterior and shady reasons she could be there.

Eventually, Kazehana just put her hands up and said, "Whoooaaa, Miya!" Shaking her head she said, "No, I'm not here for that, just waiting for someone."

Miya tilted her head to the side and brought up her sleeve and said, "Oh? Who might that be?"

Kazehana chuckled and said, "Sorry, that's privy info."

Miya nodded in understanding and asked, "So, when will he get here?"

Kazehana sweat dropped and said, "I figured it would take a little longer than that."

* * *

The doorbell rang at the moment and Kazehana slowly got up and made her way to the door with Miya directly behind.

She approached the door and opened it, to revealing the smirking form of Asuma Sarutobi, actually wearing something besides his jounin uniform for once.

He still wore his headband and Guardian sash. But instead wore a light brown blazer with a cream-colored shirt underneath and olive-green slacks while smoking a cancer stick that he loved so dearly, though he still wore his shinobi sandals.

He waved to Kazehana and asked, "Ready?"

She nodded and then a small wind picked up, slicing apart Asuma's cigarette.

Looking down at his severed cigarette he frowned and said with mock-hurt, "That was mean."

Kazehana just giggled behind her hand and teased, "I can't very well let you smoke since it messes with the wind, can I?"

Asuma just shrugged and stuck out his elbow with a smirk.

Kazehana wrapped her arm around his and waved to Miya as they left.

If they had turned around they would have seen Miya's normally gracefully formal smile slowly morphed into a soft, compassionate one as she turned to enter the inn and closed the door.

* * *

In the Land of Waves at Tazuna's house, Homura and Uzume stood guard at the house, very bored.

Uzume took a big yawn and started nodding off, only to get another fireball in the ass from Homura. "Would you stop that!" she shouted to the fire user.

He smirked under his mask and said, "I refuse to do this alone, so I'll just keep you awake."

Uzume puffed out her cheeks and sighed, rubbing her head, "I know what you mean, but the bridge is covered in mist and they've been there for over half an hour. I'm just getting worried."

Homura nodded and said, "I understand, I can feel Sakura through the bond. While not frightened she's scared, but our orders were to stay here; so we have to listen to them, got it."

Uzume grumbled and said, "Yeah."

Their attention was drawn to a perverted whistle.

They glared over ready for a fight and saw two of Gato's thugs. One with shoulder length bluish white hair and one covered in scars.

The bluish white haired one looked Uzume up and down perversely while rubbing his chin. He then leered at her and said, "You look like you'd be fun. Come with us and we'll make sure Gato doesn't hurt you and show a good time."

Unconsciously covering herself with her veils she spit back, "Pig, only my Ashikabi looks at me like that."

The man raised an eyebrow but didn't have time to ask as two veils shot at him. "Shit." He jumped to the side only to get grabbed by the ankle and smacked against a tree with a sickening crack.

"Bitch!" the other roared as he prepared to dice the woman apart, only to be blocked by Homura. "Move it asshole!"

His response was a knee to the face followed by a burst of fire.

The blue haired man stood up and spat out while grabbing his cracked ribs, "Damn, these guys are ninja." He was about to stand up when Uzume wrapped him up and chopped him in the back of the neck, knocking him out.

The other stood up only to get knocked down by Homura.

Homura pointed his open hand at him and said calmly, "We only need one of you for interrogation."

The man sweat profusely and looked at the fire user in fear. He was about to defend himself when he was set aflame, being burnt to a crisp.

* * *

The battle on the bridge was set it was Naruto vs. Haku, Sasuke vs. Karasuba, Musubi & Akitsu vs. Toyotama &Ichiya, Kakashi vs. Zabuza, Hikari &Hibiki vs. Kisame & Benitsubasa.

Taki watched from silently from sidelines hoping her Ashikabi and his friends would win, and wholeheartedly believed they would.

* * *

Hibiki dodged a series of strikes from Benitsubasa and then shoved her hands forwards and released a large pulse of electricity.

The result was an electrified shockwave that knocked Benitsubasa into the air. She skidded to a stop with small twitches and said, "Great, I'm stuck with some bitch that shoots off lightning." She lunged forward and zigzagged passed the lightning strikes that Hibiki launched and jumped into the air when she got close. She launched a spinning kick at her head.

Hibiki brought her forearm up and braced it with chakra as Benitsubasa hit it. She grimaced at first but then grabbed the pinkette's leg and smirked.

Benitsubasa looked at her pissed off and confused until she felt lightning surging through her body in a current. To stop the flow she kicked at Hibiki's arm. The calmer Lightning Twin let her go and jumped back.

Hikari made a blade of electricity around her forearm and blocked the strike from Kisame. She immediately regretted that when she felt her chakra being sapped from her. Using her free hand she zapped Kisame, causing him to break contact and jump back, though still grinning.

"Not bad," he chortled. He looked at her with his sword braced in front of him and said, "Let's see how long you can keep it up." He then lunged at her with a violent flurry of swings and slashes.

Hikari blocked the slashes wearily, losing chakra each time.

Kisame made for a wide vertical swing.

Hikari smirked and released a powerful pulse of lightning that threw him back. Kisame stood with several tears and cuts but still sporting a toothy grin.

In front of him Hikari was kneeling, panting heavily, and covered in cuts in bruises. To make matters worse, she was nearly out of chakra thanks to Shark Skin. She looked at Kisame's grin and grit her teeth.

He walked over and said, "This was fun. Too bad you've got to die now." He raised Shark Skin over his head and prepared to strike.

He swung but was knocked down when something hit him in the back and sent him flying.

He looked to his right and saw Benitsubasa covered in burns and swirls in her eyes.

Kisame sweat dropped and said, "She's seriously in the Disciplinary Squad?"

She came to, looked around and then stood up. She looked at the panting Hibiki and shouted, "YOU'RE REALLY PISSING ME OFF!"

"Damn, how much energy does this bitch have?" Hibiki cursed as the fist fighter seemed to run on infinite. Her eyes widened what she saw next.

Benitsubasa glanced at Kisame who sighed.

He put Shark Skin up against her shoulder and transferred some chakra to the pinkette.

Hibiki snarled and said to Hikari, "This is bad, in addition to her own never ending stamina, he keeps fueling her with his own."

Hikari nodded and suggested, "So we need to separate them."

Hibiki nodded and the two ran and flanked the two warriors.

Kisame grinned and pulled Shark Skin away as he jumped out the twins' path.

Benitsubasa growled and jumped over Hikari's head and landed behind her.

The twins smirked and did an immediate heel turn, then charged at their opponents effectively separating them.

Hikari stood across from Benitsubasa in a standoff. Hikari charged electricity in her feet and extended it subtly towards Benitsubasa.

The pinkette felt a slight tingle and looked around, then noticed Hikari's grin. "What's so funny!?" she screeched.

Hikari released the electricity in a stream and vanished, only to reappear right in front of a stunned Benitsubasa. "This is brand new technique I came up with, I call it Atomic Transfer," she bragged as she coiled up her right arm and charged it with electricity.

Benitsubasa brought her arms to block, which was a bad idea as Hikari's electrified fist slammed into her arms, sending electricity surging through her body as well as sending her flying.

She tried to bolster herself with her arms but discovered they were numb.

Hikari launched forward by utilizing the chakra jumps shinobi use and came right in front of Benitsubasa and said with a grin, "There's a reason my number's higher than yours, Disciplinary Squad or not." She coiled up her leg and launched an electrified roundhouse kick at the pinkette.

Benitsubasa screeched in pain as the kick shocked her badly and sent her plummeting into the water below.

* * *

Hibiki dodged swipe after swipe from Kisame's sword, trying to keep far enough away to not get her chakra taken. Seeing an opening when Kisame over swung, Hibiki shot a lightning bolt at him.

Kisame received a nasty shock and stumbled back from the attack. After a second to recover, he looked at Hibiki and grinned. He charged at the Sekirei and started swinging with renewed vigor.

Dodging the repeated swings, some getting close enough to sap a little chakra, Hibiki thought, '_How much energy does this bastard have?_'

Her thoughts were cut short when Kisame jabbed at her with Shark Skin, the blow strong enough to make her cough up blood. He grinned and hoisted her and his sword over his head and slammed her against the ground with a loud crash.

He brought his sword up to strike again but was stopped by an electrified snap kick to the back of the head, shocking him and sending tumbling along the ground.

Hikari knelt down to check on her injured sister, "Hibiki! Are you alright?"

Hibiki coughed and spit out some blood but looked at her sister and nodded weakly.

They looked ahead and tensed when they heard Kisame cackling.

"Lucky me, I get twins. Isn't this supposed to be every man's dream or something?" he chortled with Shark Skin resting on his shoulder.

The twins got into a taijutsu stance and charged their hands.

"We haven't got much chakra left, we need to finish this quick," Hibiki said.

Her sister nodded and they charged at Kisame with a scissor move.

Kisame grinned and jumped in the air, exactly what they wanted.

Hibiki charged a ball of lightning in her hand that crackled and stretched, and then tossed it up at Kisame.

Kisame grunted as the ball of lightning stuck to him and then exploded, sending him soaring through the air with his cloak mostly destroyed. He opened his eyes and saw Hikari above him with her leg glowing with lightning. He grinned worriedly and sweat dropped, then thought, '_Uh-oh_.'

Hikari gave him an axe kick that released a bolt of lightning a moment later, sending him crashing into the bridge and then straight through it.

He splashed into the water below with a huge shockwave.

The Lightning Twins watched apprehensively as the water evened out and became still again. They sighed with relief and slumped down back to back when Kisame didn't resurface.

"Damn, I thought he'd never go down," Hikari said with a heavy sigh while rubbing her sore leg. "Kicking him hurt more than I thought it would."

Hibiki glared weakly at her sister and said, "I don't want to hear it. I'm going to have to request a new suit from M.B.I. since this thing's just about shredded thanks to that sword of his."

The two of them sighed as they focused on their bond to find Kakashi and became immediately worried by the shock and anger he had.

They immediately stood up to try and find him.

* * *

Sasuke was in the middle of an up-ended battle. Karasuba was stronger, faster, and more nimble than he was.

He tried getting in close with a kunai jab, but she just kicked him away. He attempted to hit her with a fireball, but she amazingly and calmly sliced it in half, sending the halves crashing to the ground in a fiery blaze behind her. He tried a barrage of shuriken, kunai, and paper bombs but Karasuba dodged or deflected them all with ease.

What pissed him off even more was that it was obvious she wasn't even trying.

Eventually he got past her guard and tried punch her solar plexus but she kneed him in the gut and then kicked his airborne body back, sending him careening into a pile of crates and supplies.

He looked up to see Karasuba walking toward him with a disappointed expression.

She saw the fear in his eyes and scowled, "I thought you would be more exciting than this. The hatred you harbor for your brother is intense. Yet it is useless because you can only direct it at him."

Sasuke grit his teeth and shouted, "He killed my entire clan! Of course my hatred is focused on him!"

Karasuba scowled further and picked Sasuke up by his collar and said, "Hatred is strongest when you can direct it anywhere. It becomes your greatest ally when you can project it on anyone or anything." She snickered and said, "Your hatred is far too weak. Do you know why your brother will always beat you?"

Sasuke glared hate at her as she pulled him close.

She whispered in his ear, "You don't have enough hatred, and you never will."

Sasuke's mind snapped. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists and teeth. His eyes snapped open and he sent a lightning fast kick at Karasuba that barely managed to graze her, but still left a scuff mark on her cheek.

She looked at him and grinned like a mad woman.

His irises were red with one tomoe in the left eye and two in the other. His fledgling sharingan had awakened, though he was unaware of that fact.

Karasuba smiled and dashed towards him a short horizontal slash.

Sasuke's reaction time slowed because he was surprised as she seemed to be moving in slow motion. Waking himself up he jumped back to dodge the attack.

Seeing this, she smirked again. After that she attacked him with a flurry of strikes that were a blur to anyone else but Sasuke could see like extremely fast strikes that he was barely able to dodge. This was better than not dodging at all like he had been.

He jumped back and made several hand signs, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" He launched a fireball that quickly split into multiple smaller ones.

Karasuba dodged the fireballs but opened her eyes in curiosity when she heard a sizzling noise. She turned around with a combined look of surprise and annoyance. '_He hid paper bombs in the fireballs, smooth._' She jumped to the side and was immediately faced by Sasuke who launched a series of punches and kicks that Karasuba dodged effortlessly.

Sasuke landed and 'hn'ed at the failure. He launched several shuriken and shouted, "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Five shuriken became twenty-five.

Karasuba gave him a close-eyed smile and used her sword to easily deflect them all like they were nothing.

Sasuke growled and then dashed forward with a wide kick.

Karasuba caught his kick but raised an eyebrow when he smirked.

He brought up a one handed sign and said, "Release!"

Karasuba released his leg and cringed as she felt a small burst of electricity surge through her. She stood up with a scowl that quickly morphed into a smile and asked, "I wonder how you did that?"

He reached into the leg warmer on his left leg and pulled out a seal. He smirked and said, "It's something Naruto gave me that I charge with lightning chakra."

Karasuba chuckled and said, "He's a bright one then."

Sasuke scowled and tossed the used seal aside, "Whatever. You're annoying."

Karasuba cracked her eyes with a devious smirk before dashing forward at meteoric speeds.

Sasuke widened his eyes and tensed his muscles awaiting her attack.

She swung diagonally and Sasuke blocked with a kunai as his legs bent under the pressure. Pumping chakra into his arms he pushed back and managed to knock her off.

She smirked and jumped back, then circled around and tried to bisect him from behind.

Seeing that with his sharingan, he was able to flip over the attack. She swung vertically and Sasuke planted his foot on the blade. Fortunately it didn't cut through his sandal and he propelled off.

She bolted forward as blur.

Sasuke was just barely able to block the attack with his kunai, but it caused him to slide back.

Karasuba repeated that multiple times, knocking into Sasuke at speeds he could barely track.

After several goes at this Sasuke was reaching his limits. Even with his sharingan awakened and all of his skills, he was still far outclassed by Karasuba.

She knew that.

He was on one knee panting heavily from chakra exhaustion and injury. He looked up to see Karasuba sauntering over to him and scowled.

When she approached him, she looked him in the eyes and smirked.

His sharingan were spinning ever so slowly, showing his current rage.

She chuckled and said, "Good, you're letting your anger spread outwards. Using your rage towards your brother and directing it towards me. It's weak but I can feel it from you." She paused and knelt down. Then she cupped a hand under his chin and looked him in the eyes and said, "You're hatred is too weak for now. But in time, it will grow. And when it does, seek me out and I will be yours. Together we can watch this world burn to ash," she began to speak with increasing enthusiasm.

"Shut up!" he cried. "Don't talk about Itachi! Especially in front of me!"

Karasuba's grin simply increased further as she stood, "I should kill you right here and now." She drove the point home by bringing her sword up to his throat, him being too weak to move. She then added, "But…your hatred and rage intrigue me."

She pulled her sword away and sheathed it as she walked away. Before she was no longer visible she turned halfway and looked at Sasuke over her shoulder, "You don't interest me now, boy. Your hatred is too weak, but when it is stronger," she crinkled her eyes in a grin, "come find me again, and we will talk."

She turned and walked away, leaving Sasuke unable to move.

After several seconds he began to tremble, he then slammed his fist into the ground. "Damn it!" he shouted. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he said, pounding the ground each time. '_If I couldn't even beat her then I could…no…I will grow stronger and_destroy_both her_and_Itachi, I swear,_' he thought in rage.

* * *

Kakashi clashed in a battle of blades with Zabuza.

Kakashi was using the Leaf's standard Chakra Blade which absorbs chakra and releases it as a three foot blue energy blade.

Zabuza was using the Executioner's Blade.

The two stood with their blades locked in a standoff until Kakashi felt the shift created by Zabuza putting more weight into the strike and jumped back. He threw multiple kunai that Zabuza blocked by bringing up the flat edge of the blade and then vanished into the mist.

Kakashi looked around trying to locate the swordsman. He felt a slight shift in air pressure and turned around instantly. He brought his blade to the side and braced it with his other hand as Zabuza's vertical swing came in. For added assurance, Kakashi locked himself to the bridge with chakra.

The massive blade hit home and Kakashi winced at the force.

He swung his blade up and out swiftly and stabbed forward, impaling Zabuza in the abdomen. Kakashi frowned when he turned into a puddle of water. Kakashi sighed and said tiredly, "I guess it's time to use my trump card."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow and became slightly visible and wondered out loud, "Oh? And what would that be?"

Kakashi turned to face Zabuza and reached up to his headband and lifted it. Revealing his left eye to be closed and with a long vertical scar. He opened it and revealed a fully matured sharingan.

Zabuza chuckled and said, "I see. So that's why they call you Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

Kakashi got into a kenjutsu pose and elongated the blade of his sword with more chakra.

Zabuza charged at him with a horizontal swing that Kakashi blocked easily.

Kakashi then rushed forward grinding his blade against Zabuza's and then swung wide and fast.

Zabuza jumped back narrowly avoiding the slash that would have cut open his abdomen. He frowned and said, "That eye makes you fast."

Kakashi didn't respond as Zabuza went at him with another swing that Kakashi dodged easily. He jumped back and skidded, then stuck his sword in the ground right when Zabuza did the same.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and prepared a jutsu, but widened his eyes in surprise when he noticed Kakashi preparing the same jutsu.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" they called simultaneously, shooting powerful blasts of water from their mouths that collided with a powerful splash

After the water cleared they grabbed their swords and charged again.

Zabuza took a low horizontal swing while Kakashi made a high vertical slash.

Their blades met in the middle and Kakashi grimaced as Zabuza used the momentum and power he had to toss Kakashi over him.

Kakashi shifted his weight to do several midair spins before landing back on the ground and charged to the side right as Zabuza did the same.

Zabuza shot off to his right with a burst of chakra and Kakashi to his own left at the same time. They locked blades again, but this time they were.

Zabuza scowled and broke contact, jumping back and skidding. He reached into his pouch and threw a volley of shuriken.

Kakashi did so as well.

Their shuriken met and clashed in the middle, canceling each other out.

Zabuza grimaced and thought, '_What is going on?! He's copying every move I make! Che, he's nothing more than a monkey._'

"You know Zabuza, if you surrender now, I'll see if he Leaf Village can give you a less painful sentence," Kakashi taunted.

The taunt seemed to work as Zabuza glowered and made a hand sign for the water clone. His eyes widened in shock as Kakashi did the same.

"Water Clone Jutsu!" they both called, creating four clones each that charged.

The clones burst into puddles and Zabuza was trembling with a mixture of anger and shock. He smirked and decided to use something more volatile since there was so much water on the bridge.

"Ushi, saru, u, ne, i, tori, ushi, uma..." they both chanted as they went through a massive number of hand signs. Zabuza trembled in disbelief as this happened. '_It, it can't be! It's like he's able to predict my moves even before I do! Wait, what's that!?_' he near shouted as something phased into existence behind Kakashi, a shadowed figure. Of Zabuza himself.

"Ne, i, tori!" they shouted. The two then called, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The numerous water puddles along the bridge from their own battle as well as the others migrated to two points in the air along with water from the ocean below.

Then, two massive, serpentine dragons made of water with glowing amber eyes formed and charged at each other, with Kakashi's biting Zabuza's in the neck and dispelling it. Before crashing in the man himself.

The torrent of water sent Zabuza crashing into one of the conrstuctions pillars and bending it. He managed to hang on before Kakashi pinned him to it.

The copy ninja then teleported to atop it panting as Zabuza weakly glared at him and asked, "C-can you...see the future?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Yes, and I see your death."

Zabuza smirked and turned into a puddle of water.

Kakashi's eyes widened when Zabuza's foot slammed into his back and sent him crashing into the bridge rolling to a stop.

Zabuza now stood atop the pillar with a smirk, "Right. If you could see the future you'd have seen that coming."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and stood up with a grunt and a sigh and said, "Good point."

"Also, Kakashi," Zabuza said, getting a weak glare from the silver haired jonin. "I've figured something out, I just needed a little test."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and asked venomously, "What?"

"That eye of yours, it doesn't predict my movements, it controls them."

Kakashi winced and Zabuza chuckled, "So I was right huh?"

Kakashi glared and said, "What's your point?"

Zabuza chuckled and snapped his fingers and said, "To beat it, all I need to do is keep my eyes away from yours."

The mist thickened and Kakashi said, "If I can't see you, then you can't see me. So it's a nice plan but fundamentally flawed."

Zabuza chuckled as his voice came from every direction, "Oh Kakashi," he drawled. "You forget, I'm a master of Silent Killing. All I need is the slightest breath, the slightest shuffle of the clothing to hone in on you exactly."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and thought, '_Think Kakashi, where will he attack?_' He looked around and then became frantic, "Tazuna and Sakura!"

The two flinched as Zabuza appeared and swung his sword.

Kakashi dashed forward and tried to reach them but knew he wouldn't make it.

Right before Zabuza's blade connected, two purple swords of electricity blocked him. He scowled as Hibiki and Hikari stood trembling under the force of his attack.

Sakura beamed, "Hibiki, Hikari!"

Hikari turned to her and said, "Come on. You didn't really think we'd let the most fashionable of Kakashi's students bite it did you?"

Sakura laughed as Tazuna sighed.

Hibiki glared at Zabuza and, with her free hand, launched an electrified punch that Zabuza jumped back to dodge, only to receive a roundhouse from Kakashi.

Zabuza roared in pain and then flipped backwards over Kakashi's foot and tumbled along the bridge. He stood up panting and said, "Damn you..."

"You know Zabuza," Kakashi began, eliciting a scowl from the rogue shinobi, "I've heard about how you left the Mist Village, after attempting to assassinate Yagura. You also vowed to go back and take him down. I suppose that's your dream isn't it? To take back the Mist?"

Zabuza growled and shouted, "Silence! Keep your damned ideas to yourself!"

Kakashi sighed, covered his sharingan and said, "But to fulfill that dream, you needed two things. Money, and a future. Which thanks to how far you've fallen, you have neither."

Zabuza smirked and said, "No sharingan anymore?"

Kakashi looked at Zabuza straight-faced and said, "No, no more copied jutsu. Specially for you, I'll give a jutsu I made all by myself."

* * *

Naruto began his battle with Haku by pulsing chakra trying to find any variation that would tip him off to which was the original.

Haku, feeling the pulse pulled out several senbon and said calmly, "That won't work."

After several seconds, Naruto realized she was right and cursed. That tactic failing he tried another.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Hundreds of clones started to fill the space and attempted to blow out the mirrors but were dispelled as Haku threw multiple senbon barrages out. A few even manage to hit Naruto himself.

"Damn, that didn't work either." He then tried to blow them out with Great Breakthrough. His reward was another volley of senbon burying themselves in his skin. He cursed again and tried to come up with a plan.

"You're strategies will all fail. Even if you manage to break the mirror I'm in, I can simply jump from the shards to another whole mirror and then replace the broken one immediately," she said plainly.

Naruto growled and said, "Well, this sucks."

She jumped out of the mirror launching more senbon, Naruto dodged.

Naruto smirked and said, "Well, looks like I get to try one of my new tricks."

Haku quirked an eyebrow but prepared for his attack.

Forming his favorite hand sign he said, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty clones appeared in the dome.

Haku retorted calmly, "This again?"

She jumped and threw more senbon. Her eyes widened when the clones, instead of bursting into puffs of smoke, exploded with extreme force.

Surprise and the attack itself made it so that Haku barely got back into one of the mirrors but was still burnt by the explosion.

Naruto smirked and said, "Got her."

His smirk lowered when Haku jumped from several mirrors and impaled with dozens of senbon.

He grit his teeth as he pulled several of them out. He looked up and started formulating another plan but had to stop when Haku launched another attack.

She jumped from one mirror to another and launched multiple senbon, then sunk into that mirror and jumped and attacked again.

Naruto jumped, skipped, and rolled to dodge, still managing to get stuck with a few. '_Damn. Kurama, I need chakra to my senses, mostly my eyes._'

Kurama raised an eyebrow but loaned the blonde a small drip of his chakra, causing the blonde's pupils to became slitter but not to change otherwise. Naruto calmed himself and watched Haku jump out again.

She was just barely a blur to him but he could at least tell where she was going. He then noticed something as they kept up their dance of Haku jumping and striking, with Naruto then dodging.

Every couple jumps Haku's speed would decrease, her visage becoming clearer each time. He smirked and thought, '_So long as I can keep dodging, she should slow down enough for me to get a few strikes_.'

He then concentrated on the bond to see how each of his Sekirei were doing. Akitsu was struggling but still had confidence so he wasn't too worried. Musubi was a flurry of excitement. She was fighting a powerful opponent.

All he could do was sweat drop.

Taki was worried on the outside of the mist wall. He sent a small burst of calming emotions that seemed to work.

Uzume just seemed annoyed.

Deciding they were in acceptable condition he enacted his plan. He dodged volley after volley, never retaliating.

Eventually he noticed that Haku's visage had become a slightly distorted view of herself rather than a blur, noting how far her speed had fallen.

He waited until she threw her last volley and then charged a Rasengan. He lunged at her next destination. He was slightly too slow as he missed his chance and she escaped to another mirror, then reformed the one he broke.

Naruto waited again and then lashed out when she landed. While he didn't hit her square on, he noticed that a portion of her right sleeve was torn. He smirked at his little victory; only to cringe as he felt his own chakra starting to fail.

That was bad

While he could easily use Kurama's chakra, he preferred not to as even without Kurama's will its chakra would strengthen his anger and control him through it on its own accord.

He decided this had been ended swiftly.

Naruto continued dodging Haku until he saw an opening. He charged as much chakra as he could and lunged at another mirror with a Rasengan, right as Haku headed toward it.

'_No_,' Haku thought worriedly.

The Rasengan connected with Haku's torso, tearing her clothes around her abdomen and shredding her bindings before launching her through the mirror.

Haku tumbled and rolled along the ground, skidding to a halt.

The mirrors shattered and fell around Naruto, panting as he deactivated Kurama's chakra and went to one knee. Haku sat up weakly and asked, "Tell me, why do you fight?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and responded, "Why do you want to know?"

She gave a weak smile and said, "Just the musings of a dying woman."

Naruto narrowed his eyes but shrugged and decided to answer anyway. "I fight to protect my friends, and to become Hokage!" he said proudly.

Haku smiled and asked, "Is there anyone truly precious to you?"

Naruto was utterly puzzled but answered anyway, "Lots of people."

Haku, still smiling said, "Then I'm sure you'll be very strong."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as she stood shakily and he then got ready to fight.

Haku put up her hand and said, "Don't worry; I'm in no condition to fight anymore."

Calmed, he decided to ask her something, "What did you mean by 'I'll be very strong'?"

She answered warmly, "Because, a person is truly strong when they have someone to protect."

Naruto glared and said distastefully, "Like Zabuza?"

She nodded, "He may seem cruel, but he wasn't always like that."

Naruto was confused again but let her speak.

"You see, we both come from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Roughly twenty years ago, the Land of Water was embroiled in a civil war. People like me with kekkei genkais were used as mercenaries, and were fearsome opponents. Eventually, the new Mizukage, Yagura, came to power and the civil war ended. But for those born with kekkei genkai, it still continued."

Naruto's eyes widened and he asked, "What? But why?"

Haku shook her head, "Because, the horror stories of what those with kekkei genkai could do had spread, and the people became fearful of them. Seeing this, Yagura decided to ingratiate himself to the people by casting a nation wide order to kill all kekkei genkai users on sight. There were many clans that were snuffed out due to this order. But one clan stood above the rest as the most feared."

Naruto gulped and asked, "W-what was it?"

"My clan, the Yuki clan. Know this, my mother went into hiding and hid her identity as a member of the Yuki clan. Eventually, she married a simple farmer and had a daughter, me. But when I was four years old I discovered my ice style kekkei genkai. My mother became petrified and told me never to use it again. But my father had seen me use it."

Naruto didn't like where she was going.

"He gathered a band of men and killed my mother, then tried to kill me. I reacted on instinct and killed them all. I was chased out of the village and was forced to live on my own for three years."

Naruto nodded, knowing exactly what that was like.

Haku, catching his meaning, smiled and continued, "When I was seven years old, Zabuza found me. He was still an enlisted jonin at the time. Though he didn't do so in an official capacity, he took me in and started to raise me after realizing I was the last member of the Yuki clan." She looked up towards the sky with nostalgia as she continued, "I pledged myself to serve him as his tool. Since he had seen me not as a horrible monster, but as a person with a special gift."

Naruto sported a smile, remembering when Iruka looked past Kurama and saw him, not his tenant. His smile was also sad because of how Haku let herself be treated by Zabuza.

"Eventually, one of Zabuza's comrades discovered my abilities and turned me in to the authorities, along with him for harboring me. Realizing they were going to kill me, Zabuza rebelled and killed everyone there. Then he took me out of the Mist Village and made a promise. He said, 'I will build an army, I will return here. And I will take back my home from Yagura's oppression.'"

Naruto was surprised how similar that goal was to his oath of becoming Hokage.

After a short pause, she began again, "Things became bad shortly after that. After a few short years we amassed a small band and assaulted the Mizukage, the entire group, save for me and Zabuza were killed."

Naruto continued to listen and could do little more than seethe at how truly devoted Haku was to Zabuza and how he treated her in return.

"After several missions, we ended up finding and bringing Taki with us. I never knew where she came from, but Zabuza openly accepted her in. Soon after that, however, the deaths seemed to get to him, along with frustration. The only real fighting force we picked up after that were a few dozen rogue chunin and the Akuma Brothers. Zabuza was friendly with them at first. Unfortunately, the chunin kept dying on the missions Zabuza undertook. He mourned his lost comrades at first, though not openly. He eventually stopped being close to his soldiers, and became cold and distant. I think he learned of Taki's Sekirei status early on. I can't say what that had to do with the abuse, but I try to think it was at least grounded on good intentions."

Naruto interrupted there and said, "Good intentions can lead to bad outcomes, I would know." He instinctively put a hand over his stomach.

Confused at his action, Haku nodded and answered, "True, I believe his original intent was to drive her away so she didn't react to him. But it eventually devolved into him taking out his pent up rage more than anything." She looked down sadly and continued, "I had always hoped Zabuza would go back to normal, but it seems, I won't get the chance to see it if he does."

Naruto was confused by what she said, and became further puzzled when she erected an ice mirror and stepped into it. The mirror shattered and she vanished, leaving a very puzzled Naruto.

* * *

At the same time, Kakashi flashed several hand signs and then slammed his hand and said, "Summoning: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"

Zabuza braced himself for whatever beast the copy ninja conjured, but became confused and unnerved when nothing happened. Zabuza smirked and taunted, "Run out of chakra did we?"

Kakashi made several more hand signs and charge chakra into his right hand and said, "You shouldn't _just_ look around."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow but had no time to think when the ground burst around him. He felt sharp pains all over and when the dust cleared he scowled when he saw the source.

He had multiple ninja hounds, ranging from a small pug to a massive bulldog, holding him in place with claws and teeth.

He then heard a strange sound. He looked forward and went wide eyed.

Enveloping Kakashi's right hand was a sparking, jolting ball of electricity. "You're about to see something special," Kakashi said. "My own original jutsu, the Lightning Blade!"

Kakashi charged forward with his lightning encased hand swung behind him.

Zabuza tried to get free but it was pointless.

Kakashi thrust his hand forward and time slowed down for all involved.

An ice mirror rose into existence and Haku stepped out, holding her hands out to the side to stop Kakashi.

Zabuza just watched coldly as Kakashi's jutsu pierced Haku right through the chest, his hand going all the through and out her back.

Kakashi's mind took a moment to register what had happened. He immediately removed his hand from her chest and jumped back, causing her lifeless body to fall to the ground.

Zabuza was freed from the dogs and had no reaction at all, he just looked at Kakashi with annoyance.

* * *

Akitsu slammed into one of the bridge's barricades and stood up shakily.

She looked forward and rolled to the side as Ichiya sent her an axe kick that splintered the plaster.

Akitsu formed several ice spears and shot them at Ichiya.

Ichiya ran forward easily dodging each one and gave Akitsu a roundhouse kick that she blocked with a wall of ice.

Akitsu jumped back right before it shattered and Ichiya's leg burst through. Akitsu still displayed her bored expression, albeit with sweat trickling down her forehead.

Ichiya never lost her confident grin and charged at the ice user.

Toyotama was having the opposite situation with her target. She was skilled with a spear but Musubi never seemed to stop moving.

Toyotama gave a wide slash that Musubi hopped back to avoid.

Musubi then jumped up to dodge a downward slice. She then lunged with a powerful kick that Toyotama blocked with her staff.

Toyotama grimaced at the blow's power, which caused her to skid back. When she felt the kinetic energy die down a little she pushed back, sending Musubi twirling through the air to land on her feet with a big smile.

Toyotama scoffed at this girl's sheer stubbornness and ran at her with a lunge.

Musubi dodged to the side and smiled triumphantly.

What she didn't notice was Toyotama's smirk. She pulled her hand back to the end of her spear and swung it horizontally, acting essentially like a bludgeoning weapon.

Musubi didn't have time to react and yelped in pain as the spear's staff collided with her side and sent her tumbling to the ground. She got up with a wince and jumped back when the spear stabbed at the ground. She skidded to a stop and then ran at the green-haired spear wielder with a powerful kick that she telegraphed like a neon sign.

Toyotama tilted her head to side with a smirk but hadn't counted on the other foot as it collided with her face.

Musubi then used her curled leg like a spring and launched herself back, sending Toyotama into backflip that caused her head to collide with the pavement.

Musubi cheered happily, "Yay! I got her!"

Toyotama stood up with a bloody nose and rubbed the back of her head and cursed, "Damn, that was pretty good." After regaining her senses she got back into another stance and prepared to stab Musubi.

She stabbed high, slashed low, swung vertically, and then slashed shoulder to hip.

Musubi dodged each and every attack but got her shirt nicked by the slash.

Akitsu and Ichiya were at a proverbial stalemate.

Akitsu had the advantage on range, able to launch hundreds of ice spears at long distances.

Ichiya had the advantage in strength and speed. She was fast enough to dodge most of the spears, and strong enough to destroy the others before they hit.

This back and forth lasted for quite a time until Ichiya lost her balance on some of the ground that had been frozen during their fight.

Taking immediate advantage, Akitsu launched as many ice shards as she could.

Ichiya was able to plant her hands on the ground just in time to go through some acrobatics to dodge most of the flying shards, but still got scraped in a few spots.

Throwing caution to the wind and getting fed up, Akitsu decided to use a new technique she had developed recently. She encased her forearm in ice and the end tapered off to a point, resulting in her arm becoming an ice sword.

Ichiya grinned and taunted, "Please, I'm faster and stronger. You really think you can beat me because of some fancy weapon?"

Akitsu charged at her instead of answering.

Meanwhile, Musubi was busy trading blows with Toyotama.

Musubi was hard pressed to get close, but still managed to land a few good hits now and then, but had most of her clothing shredded by Toyotama's spear along with multiple shallow cuts.

Toyotama panted, watching the near-nude Sekirei bounce excitedly on the balls of her feet, covered in bruises and cuts and was in disbelief. "Why?" she asked.

Musubi stopped hopping and tilted her head, "Why what?"

Toyotama sighed and asked again, more detailed, "Why're you fighting so hard for your Ashikabi?"

Musubi tilted her head to the other side, "Because he's my Ashikabi," she said plainly.

Toyotama scratched her head furiously, and pointed her spear at her accusingly, "So!? What makes him so special that you wouldn't have surrendered by now?"

Musubi scrunched her nose in thought, then answered, "Would you?"

Toyotama scoffed at her question, "Tch, of course. My Ashikabi sees me as nothing more than a disposable asset."

Musubi put a finger on her chin and asked, "Disposable…asset?"

Toyotama sighed and clarified, "It means unless I'm useful he doesn't care about me. Wait. Why am I telling you this!?" she shouted with exaggerated motions.

Musubi gasped, "That's horrible!"

Toyotama stopped and looked completely confused, "Isn't yours like that?"

Musubi shook her head furiously, "No! Not at all! He's kind, funny, hardworking, and extremely caring. Even now, I can tell through that bond that even though he's in a life or death situation, he's more concerned about us than himself."

Toyotama smiled sadly at that, "You sound lucky. It seems like your Ashikabi really loves you."

Musubi nodded emphatically, "He does! He does!"

Toyotama sighed and said, "Wish I was so lucky. Doesn't matter," she said with a shake of her head. "I still need to beat you."

Musubi nodded, "Right! Maybe if you show how useful you are your Ashikabi will start to love you too!"

Toyotama gave another sad smile and whispered, "Doubt it."

Akitsu slashed at Ichiya with her ice blade but the other Sekirei dodged and threw a kick at the ice user.

Akitsu jumped back to dodged and launched several ice shards.

Ichiya smirked and did an airborne spin kick to destroy them but was caught off guard Akitsu's ice blade stabbing from a low angle.

Ichiya grit her teeth and launched an axe kick, smashing it into the back of ice Sekirei's head, sending her sliding across the ground.

Akitsu attempted to lift herself up but was stopped when Ichiya stomped on her back, resulting in a cry of pain.

Ichiya grinned and said, "Is this really all you've got? So much for the legendary single numbers." She smashed her foot into Akitsu's back again as Akitsu cried in pain.

Akitsu tried to stand again and thought, '_Naruto, he's willing to fight to the end for us, I must be willing to do the same_.' Akitsu formed several ice spears that extended from behind her, trying to impale Ichiya.

Ichiya jumped back and grunted in annoyance and charged at the downed Sekirei again.

Musubi held the end of Toyotama's spear in between her hands, the two standing almost completely still. They trembled sparsely as they tried to overpower the other.

Eventually, Musubi seemed to get an idea and twisted her hands to the right, snapping the blade off Toyotama's spear.

Toyotama pulled the end towards her, looked at it. Then blinked several times. She looked at Musubi holding her spear's blade and blinked several times, until she put two and two together and let out a surprised, "Gah!"

She then pointed at the fist type and said, "You...you broke my spear!"

Musubi smiled and said, "Well that thing was really dangerous, I didn't feel like getting cut anymore."

Toyotama just sighed, tossed her broken spear aside and said, "Screw it, I'm done. You win this fight but I'll beat you next time."

Musubi pouted, "Awww, you're giving up."

Toyotama shrugged, "I'm a weapon type, take away my weapon and I'm not as good in a fight. I was barely able to keep up with you _with_ it, I'd get demolished without it."

Musubi put her finger to her chin and said, "That's a good point. So next time then?" she asked happily.

Toyotama nodded with a small smile and said, "Yeah, next time."

The two were brought out their conversation by a bloodcurdling scream.

They ran over and Toyotama looked disappointed while Musubi looked terrified.

Lying in a small crater on her stomach was Akitsu, unconscious and possibly even dead.

On top of her with a foot planted firmly in her back was Ichiya, who had a mile-wide grin. "Guess that means I win."

Musubi ran over to tend to Akitsu but was knocked away by Ichiya. She glared indignantly and cried, "Why'd you do that?!"

Ichiya snorted and said, "She's _my_ trophy. When I finish with her you can have what's left."

Musubi glared again and was about to yell again when Toyotama beat her to it.

"Ichiya, she's been deactivated, you win. Stop this," she said with growing anger and fear at her teammate.

Ichiya scoffed at her and said, "I beat her, so I get to decide what I do." She grabbed Akitsu by the hair and lifted her up, "I beat one of the legendary single numbers, so of course I'm going to want some kind of trophy."

She looked around and noticed something glint. She pulled back Akitsu's hair and saw the earrings, "Perfect."

She reached down to take them but froze when Akitsu, despite being near death, grabbed her hand and glared tiredly at her. She then said, "You…will not…take these." She squeezed harder but Ichiya knocked her in the back of the head and glared while she nursed her hand.

She prepared to grab them again when a deafening cry rang through the battlefield.

The three Sekirei looked to their left and everyone else looked towards the end of the bridge as the mist cleared up.

Standing near the group of Sekirei was Naruto, with a shocked and enraged face, seeing Akitsu unconscious and bloody on the ground with Ichiya kneeling on top of her.

He was incapable of speech and just stood there trembling.

Musubi looked at him and spoke to try and comfort him, "Naruto..." She trailed off and covered her eyes at the next occurrence.

The wind of the battlefield suddenly shifted as Naruto's appearance changed. Most notably his eyes, his pupils slitted again and his irises turned red, a red aura surrounded him and he shouted with a demonic rage, "DAMN YOU!"

* * *

**And there goes twelve. Sorry for the cliffy, Kurama's powers make their debut next time. This will also bring the conclusion to the Wave Arc. Anyway, I've got a couple Sekirei arcs before the Chunin Exams arc. So leave a review and what you think.**


	13. Demon's Agony and Water's Trumpet

Chapter XIII

**Here's chapter twelve. Time for reviewer responses I suppose.**

**Friaku: Read on to find out.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: Oh she gets more than that for sure. As for Tsukiumi and Yume. Tsukiumi will be appearing very soon and Yume won't show up until later.**

**Exanime Draco: Just read and you'll find out.**

**With that done let's get going.**

* * *

"DAMN YOU!" a demonic and distraught voice shouted.

Naruto stood across from the group of Sekirei that comprised of Toyotama, Musubi, Ichiya, and Akitsu.

Ichiya had Akitsu pinned to the ground unconscious and nearly dead. Musubi and Toyotama just watched in disbelief.

Musubi at her sister Sekirei being deactivated, Toyotama at the pure unbridled rage, Naruto had just seen his Sekirei beaten so badly.

"Naruto," Musubi said sympathetically, trying to comfort him only to shrink back at the sensation he was giving through the bond.

Kakashi and Zabuza watched with differing emotions.

Kakashi watched with sadness and sympathy. Naruto was only fifteen, he shouldn't have seen someone so important to him die so soon, especially considering the life he's had.

Zabuza couldn't decide what he felt. He felt sadness, both towards the boy and for him, and somewhere else he couldn't pinpoint. Anger, though he couldn't tell why and a general feeling of numbness, towards everything around him.

Taki could only watch from the side with her hands over her mouth in sheer shock. Not only could she see the rage he had visible on him, the emotion being sent through the bond was overwhelming. A kind of rage she couldn't describe, it was deafening.

Sasuke watched with clenched fists. For the first time in his life, he could sympathize perfectly with someone; he knew exactly how they felt. It sickened him and not just the sympathy he felt, but at knowing the same feelings of rage and disbelief that coursed through his mind and body four years ago were now surging through Naruto. Those feelings were crippling and blinding, they just resulted in strengthening themselves. He glared at that scene, trying to decide what to do, when the weakness in his right leg informed him of what his decision was.

* * *

Naruto's mind was blank. He had nothing but the surging emotions of rage, hatred, despair, and vengeance going through his mind. Unconsciously, he had started to draw on massive quantities of Kurama's chakra. It caused his pupils to become slitted and his irises to turn blood red. His nails and canines elongated and sharpened. His canines becoming inch long fangs. His hair became wild and feral, and his whisker marks thickened.

Eventually a red mist of chakra swirled around his body, before condensing. Everyone there froze at what happened next.

A bubble of glowing red chakra popped out from under his feet. It started to get larger, enveloping Naruto's body in a bubbling, red, vaporous shroud of vile chakra. Soon, two protrusions formed on the back of his head. They vaguely resemble Kurama's long, wide, flat ears but were distorted and were vaporous like the rest of the shroud.

A small section at the base of his spine popped out, then began to elongate and writhe. Twisting and retching itself into a form resembling a foggy, bubbling form of one fox tail.

Kakashi could only watch and muttered quietly, "That's-that's the Nine-tails shroud! Could the seal already be that weak? At the very least, it's only one tail. But I've got to stop it quickly."

* * *

At Tazuna's house, Uzume suddenly froze and collapsed to the ground with her arms wrapped around herself and she shivering violently.

Homura bent down to check on her and said, "Uzume! Uzume, what's wrong!?"

With sheer terror in her voice she said, "I-I can feel it, so much hatred and rage." She then started to release slow tears, "And it-it's all coming from Naruto. I just wish...I just wish I knew what was going on."

Homura sighed and started to rub her back. He then looked at the bridge and thought, '_Even without a bond I can feel the rage. What the hell is going on?_'

* * *

Naruto glared at Ichiya with his fangs bared. In a burst of speed Naruto disappeared and reappeared in front of Ichiya, he grabbed her head tightly with his chakra infused hand. Then Naruto ran while holding her head as tightly as possible, this resulted in Ichiya's body being thrown around like a rag doll. Naruto then slammed her head into the ground while running; the concrete cracking under the force. After a minute of running Naruto threw her into the air; everyone could see Ichiya's damaged face and to say the least it had seen better days.

He threw his arms behind him and smacked the tail against the ground, launching him towards the Sekirei in the air.

Ichiya brought her hands up to guard, but Naruto just grabbed one as a red chakra arm extended out of his shroud and grabbed her face again.

He then reeled the arm back and slammed her against the ground again. He then swung her the other way and back again over and over. Finally slamming her against it and letting go.

The fist of the arm increased to the size of a human torso and punched the ground repeatedly. After several blows, he smashed the ground one more time and sent Ichiya crashing though the bridge and slamming into the water below.

Naruto threw his head back, curled up his arms and roared monstrously. But it wasn't simply a mindless bellow. It was a roar full of rage and agony.

He stood there bellowing for several seconds before turning to face Akitsu.

He walked forward clumsily and then dropped to his knees, his shroud starting to recede.

He turned her over and put one hand under Akitsu's head and placed the other against her shoulder. He started to shake her gently, a weak smile across his face. "Come on Akitsu, time to wake up." When she didn't respond, he tried again, with more pain in his voice.

He tried over and over, his eyes filling with tears as each person seeing this could only watch in sadness as he fruitlessly tried to wake her up.

He eventually resorted to just saying her name over and over as his tears streamed down his face, lapping against her pale skin. He shook her more vigorously, "…Akitsu…" he said weakly. "Akitsu…" again. "Akitsu…Akitsu, Akitsu. Akitsu! Akitsu! AKITSU!" He finally started crying in loud wails as he held her close to him.

* * *

Everyone snapped their attention up when a new, gravelly, pompous voice spoke up.

"Well, well. Look at this. The great Demon of the Hidden Mist, beaten by a buncha kids. Pathetic," someone said.

Everyone looked ahead and saw Gato, standing on the unfinished end of the bridge with a mass of nearly three hundred bandits behind him.

Disgust and rage filled Naruto as he prepared to stand and attack, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

Standing over him, a hand on his shoulder, and pure rage in his eyes, was Zabuza Momochi. Without looking at Naruto he said, "Look kid, don't sully your hands with this tripe."

The bandits started shouting but shut up with a glare from Zabuza.

Zabuza finally looked at Naruto and said, "You and Haku, the two of you made me remember something. The whole reason I became of rogue ninja."

"The Hidden Mist Village," Naruto said knowingly.

Zabuza adorned a pathetic smile under his mask and said, "Tell you did she? Haku's always been a bleeding heart, too pure to kill anyone and would always spill her heart out at a moment's notice." Zabuza looked down with a hint of sadness, "Mainly because she couldn't tell me."

Naruto interrupted, "Zabuza, I want to be perfectly honest I don't like you. Actually I hate you, mainly for what you did to Taki; but Haku she didn't, she loved you, practically worshipped you. She was willing to, and did, throw her life away for you."

Zabuza actually had tears tugging at his eyes.

Naruto added one last thing, "Also, she didn't tell you those things, not because she was afraid, but because she didn't want to burden you, at least that's what I think."

Zabuza smiled sadly and said, "I hope you're right kid."

Zabuza looked back at Naruto and said, "I probably don't deserve to ask you this but, you see. I've spoiled my hands with the blood of money, killing not for my goal, but for the ryo of swines like Gato."

* * *

Gato squeezed his cane in anger at the brazen insult, but did nothing else when he noticed Kakashi glaring at him. He just swallowed nervously and let Zabuza continue.

* * *

"So I can't become the hero the Mist needs, but you can. You could free it from Yagura's cursed ruler ship. It's not my place to say this but I want to impart that burden, and the sign of it, my sword is now your's"

Naruto's eyes went wide at that, Zabuza had just bequeathed the Executioner's Blade to him.

"I also want to give you Haku's legacy, she never killed not unless it was the only way to protect those people that were important to her. She even killed to protect me. I know I can't make up for what I did to her or Taki, but I just hope they can forgive me."

Naruto chuckled mirthlessly, "I'm not too sure about Taki but as for Haku, she had nothing to forgive."

Zabuza smiled slightly and then shed a single tear and said, "Boy-no, Naruto Uzumaki. I _know_ you can save the Mist Village." Zabuza walked back over to Kakashi and took his chakra blade, then pulsed his own chakra into it. "Take my legacy, my dream with you; but leave the blood with me," Zabuza said.

Gato stepped back and started flailing his cane, "Don't just stand there! KILL HIM!" The bandits all rushed at Zabuza at once.

He smiled under his mask and rushed back at them, dodging and ducking, while slicing and slashing them to pieces.

* * *

Toyotama watched with awe and happened to see Izumi. Irritated, but glad she could leave, she walked over to him. She stopped with fear and confusion when he put his hand up and glared uncaringly at her.

"Don't come near me," he said coldly.

Toyotama flinched and could only sputter, "Wha…what?"

He narrowed his eyes and said, "Because you were weak Ichiya was terminated and you didn't even try to stop it. I have no need for security risks." He turned his back and said, "Consider our contract terminated."

He walked away as the crest on Toyotama's back turned black and then disappeared as she fell to her knees and stared vacantly.

* * *

Zabuza tore through most of the thugs, himself covered in cuts and slash wounds, with multiple bladed weapons stuck into his body; blood flowing down his visage. He looked coldly at Gato and walked forward with a dislocated leg.

Gato took several steps back, but stopped he realized he reached the edge. He looked at Zabuza and could only say one thing as he advanced, "He…he really _is_ a demon!"

That was the last thing Gato said before Zabuza ran him through with the chakra sword, and then tossed him over the end of the bridge.

He stumbled back and fell backward with a satisfied smile. After several seconds he looked around confused as he realized he hadn't hit the ground.

He turned his head and saw two, tendril-like chakra arms holding him up.

He laughed weakly and said, "Naruto, can I have one last request. Take me to Haku, I want to see her one last time before it's over."

The chakra arms wrapped around him and gently hoisted him into the air.

They carried him over to Haku and set him down next to her.

Zabuza smiled at her and brought a hand to her face and said, "You were always so caring. I can…only hope…that I…go to…the same place…as you…" Zabuza trailed off as he closed his eyes and death finally took him.

Snowflakes began to fall from the sky in a brilliant display, one landed on Haku's eye and trailed down the side of her face in a streak.

Kakashi sighed and looked at the sky, then he said, "You never know Zabuza, you just might."

* * *

Naruto smiled sadly at them, then turned back to Akitsu and began to tremble, when Kurama spoke up.

"**_Kid, give me control of your body for a minute,_****"** he said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and responded, '_Why?_'

"**_I promise I won't take permanent control. I just think I know a way to save her._****"**

Naruto thought for a moment and answered, '_I don't trust you enough for that, but I'll give you a shadow clone._'

"**_Fair enough,_****"** he answered.

Naruto created a single shadow clone and it donned his wild hair, red slitted eyes, thickened whisker marks, and elongated nails and fangs that he got when he used Kurama's chakra.

"**Let me see her back,"** he said in a raspier version of Naruto's voice.

Naruto nodded and lifted her up.

Kurama pulled down the back of her shirt and saw the Sekirei crest. He narrowed his eyes in thought and then placed two fingers on it. He released some of his chakra into the crest, causing it to glow. Immediately afterward he jerked his hand away, taking out a strange purple chakra Naruto had never seen before.

After all of the strange chakra left Akitsu's body, the crest dissolved with flashes of light and hisses of steam.

Everyone watched in confusion and then shock when Akitsu's eyes fluttered open slowly.

She looked around tiredly and smiled weakly at Naruto and said, "I'm…still here."

Naruto nodded and smiled with tears in his eyes and wrapped her in a loving hug.

Only Kakashi and Kurama noticed the minute, red flow of energy that came from Akitsu's wounds as they healed.

Kurama smiled to himself and then said, **"These shadow clones don't last long with my chakra do they?"**

Naruto could only chuckled as he turned to Kurama and said, "You can leave."

Kurama gave a small lopsided grin before the clone burst out of existence.

* * *

Kakashi smiled tiredly and everyone else just smiled happily, even Sasuke couldn't suppress his smirk.

Naruto stopped after a moment when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

He saw Toyotama slumped over near the entrance to the bridge, not moving.

Intrigued and wanting to help even if she was the enemy, she was still a Sekirei being manipulated by Minaka.

Naruto picked up Akitsu and walked over to Toyotama.

She glanced at him weakly and asked, "Are you here to terminate me?"

He simply asked, "Where's Izumi?"

She glared and then went placid again and said, "He left and he broke our bond too."

Naruto glared this time. He asked, "What will happen to you."

She shrugged, "Don't know, if I can't find another Ashikabi I'll probably be taken back to the labs and readjusted. Then released again."

Naruto thought for a second then nodded, "So you can be winged again?"

She looked at him in mild surprise and confusion and asked, "Why would you be concerned? I tried to kill one of your Sekirei."

Naruto shook his head, "I saw that none of the injuries Musubi suffered were enough to terminate her. Plus I saw when you tried to stop your partner from continuing to assault Akitsu."

She frowned and asked, "What's your point?"

He smiled and said, "If you're looking for an Ashikabi, I'm available."

"WHAT!?" most everyone aside from the now conspicuously unconscious Sasuke shouted.

Naruto turned and said, "She's still a Sekirei. All of this is Minaka's fault. I have nothing personal against the Sekirei, most of them."

Toyotama raised an eyebrow, "What about Ichiya?"

He scowled and said, "She took it too far. I was also being controlled by Kurama's chakra too." He sighed and asked, "Well, you want to be my Sekirei or not?"

She stood shakily and said, "Are you sure?"

He smiled and answered, "Yeah like I said, for the most part I don't blame the Sekirei for this. You're all being manipulated by that bastard."

She nodded and said, "Then yes. I would like to become your Sekirei."

He smiled and spoke, "Right." He placed Akitsu down and then stepped toward Toyotama, placing a hand on her cheek.

That action alone caused her to blush; Izumi had never shown that level of affection.

He brought his face to hers and she reciprocated automatically.

They both closed their eyes as the inched closer to each other.

Their lips soon came into contact and Toyotama flinched. The sensation wasn't the same cold, commanding feeling she was used to with Izumi. Naruto's was…kind and accepting.

After pressing past her reservations, she gave herself to the kiss and their lips locked together.

Toyotama could feel the massive influx of chakra from Naruto's body as it coursed through hers. Enveloping her in a sensation she hadn't experienced in a long time, safety and warmth. She felt safe with Naruto, that he would accept her and not deny her or use her like Izumi did, which made her feel warm.

Soon, her crest remerged and multiple long azure wings sprouted from her back and flexed, expanding to their full girth and brilliant light show.

The two slowly parted and Toyotama smiled. She could feel his calming emotions from the bond.

Naruto smiled too, but then frowned. Even though Akitsu alive and well, he couldn't feel her through the bond. So he wondered, '_Do I need to wing her again?_'

"**_No,_****"** Kurama said simply. **"_It wouldn't work even if you tried,_"** he clarified.

Naruto became sullen, '_But why?_'

"**_Because, it was that crest that created the bond. It was also that crest that 'killed' her when she received enough damage. Without it, she would have been just fine, ironically enough. She and I assume the others, have regenerative powers similar to my own. The only difference is that odd crest seems to stop the regeneration if they receive what would be fatal blows to a human,_****"**he said to Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and responded, '_I don't really get it, but maybe I can study it when we get back to the Leaf._'

"**_I would suggest keeping this to yourself kid,_****"**Kurama advised.

Naruto gave a mental nod and was returned to awareness when Kakashi walked up to him.

Kakashi eye smiled and said, "Well, we better get going. The others are probably worried."

Naruto nodded and was about to head out when Naruto was pounced on by Taki. Naruto fell to the ground with Taki on his lap.

"Naruto!" she yelled happily while straddling him.

Naruto gulped and said, "H-hey, Taki."

She smiled and said, "I'm free now. Which means…" she paused and put a finger up to her lips seductively, "we can finish the winging." She stated with a wink. Only to freeze when she felt killer intent from three different directions.

She looked up and behind her and saw that Toyotama, Musubi, and Akitsu all had their heads down and their eyes shadowed.

Suddenly, all three gained a dangerous glint and Taki screamed.

* * *

Their reverie stopped when one of the thugs stepped forward and said smugly, "Hey now, don't get too comfy. With Gato dead, we still need something to make our efforts worthwhile." He smirked as the others picked up their weapons.

Naruto scowled as he walked over to the Executioner's Blade and two of his chakra arms came out of his back and helped him hold the sword. He sent the thugs a cold glare and released some of Kurama's killer intent, resulting in the visage of a glowing, demonic fox head appearing with bared fangs. Naruto then said coldly, "I suggest you get lost, or I'll practice with my sword on your bodies."

Before anyone could say anything else, somebody spoke up behind them.

"And you'll have to go through us too!"

The shinobi and Sekirei looked in amazement to see Inari standing at the head of all the villagers brandishing different weapons and ready to fight.

Naruto smirked and said, "I've got enough chakra left to join in too!" He, surprising even himself at that point, formed fifteen sign less clones.

Kakashi sighed and said, "Well, can't let you have all the fun." He formed the Shadow Clone sign and said, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Kakashi style!" And with that, twenty Kakashi clones burst into existence.

The bandits started shrinking back and one shouted, "This ain't worth it!" The whole group clambered onto a boat Gato traveled in and left immediately.

Naruto looked back at the villagers and smirked, then asked, "How did you know we were fighting?"

Inari was about to speak when Homura walked forward with crossed arms and said, "I could feel Sakura's emotions. That, and the thick, chakra laden mist didn't hurt."

Naruto chuckled weakly and said, "Oh...right."

Tsunami walked up and said, "Why don't we get you home so you can recover?"

* * *

The group arrived at Tazuna's completely disheveled.

After dinner, Kakashi was ready to congratulate his team when he noticed that each of them had already fallen asleep. He couldn't suppress his nostalgic smile as images of his first B-rank with Minato flashed in his mind.

Kakashi took Sasuke to his room while Naruto and Sakura's Sekirei took them.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto woke up and tried to stretch. He frowned when he couldn't move and looked to his left emotionlessly.

One his left arm Musubi was wrapped around his arm in a vice-grip and drooling on his shoulder. Naruto couldn't decide if he was disgusted or aroused, so just went with an uncomfortable shiver.

He looked to his right and saw Akitsu had gotten herself wrapped by his arm which just so happened to have his hand resting on her ass. She had her head tucked into his neck releasing cold breaths in her sleep.

He looked down and to his left with a deepened frown and saw Uzume had wrapped herself around his torso on the right, wedged in between him and Musubi.

He looked down to his right with one twitching eyebrow and saw Taki wrapped around his right side rubbing her mostly exposed breasts into his bare chest.

He looked straight down with two furiously twitching eyebrows and saw Toyotama lying on top of him.

He sighed and suddenly wished he wore more than his boxers to bed, primarily because it seemed someone put them in the dryer.

* * *

Kakashi was in a similar situation with Hibiki and Hikari wrapped around his torso.

But rather than be uncomfortable like Naruto, he had the world's biggest perverted grin and a _very_ content eye smile.

He was personally on cloud nine. He couldn't wait to tell Jiraiya about this to give him more material.

* * *

Sakura was contently sleeping believing she was snuggled up tight to Sasuke and sighed contently, and perversely.

Homura just sighed at her with a smirk.

* * *

Sasuke's sleep was much less content.

He dreamed he was running. Running from a mad woman trying to either kill him or, in his mind, do worse things.

The worst part was he jumped onto buildings and she would follow right behind him.

He tried ducking down an alley but she simply appeared from the shadows, seeming to teleport.

He eventually seemed to get away, right as a pair of chocolate brown arms wrapped around his neck and a couple of heavenly lumps pressed against his back.

He woke up with a start sweating profusely. Sighing he lifted the blanket and then shoved it back down with an annoyed expression.

He decided he would wait a bit before going downstairs.

His dream happened again several more times before it started actually affecting him, mainly resulting in him sinking back into his old personality with a mix of his new one. Resulting in an odd combo of a smug joker, getting one too many slaps on the back of the head from Kakashi.

* * *

One morning, the three genin, jounin, and Sekirei were eating breakfast and Sakura kept glancing at Sasuke, noticing his uncomfortable expression.

Naruto did too, he was about to comment when he noticed Sakura was concerned too and let her do it instead.

"Hey Sasuke?" she asked concerned.

What she hadn't expected was when his head snapped towards her at speeds that should have broken it. And probably did if his pained expression was any evidence.

He rubbed the back of his neck and asked exhausted, "What Sakura?"

Now truly worried about him she thought, '_Yes! I can finally get closer to him. Let's do this, CHA!_'

Homura sighed, feeling the familiar emotions of what he called 'Inner Sakura'.

Pushing down her excitement she asked, "What's wrong?"

He debated for a moment and decided it best not to answer, "Nothing, I'm just tired from yesterday."

"Oh," she said dejectedly.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and decided to discuss it after breakfast.

* * *

That day, it was Sasuke, Naruto, and Homura's turn to guard Tazuna alongside Kakashi.

Once they got to the bridge, Naruto tapped Sasuke's shoulder and motioned to a shaded area under the newly built gateway.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but nodded and followed as Naruto made two hundred shadow clones to work on the bridge.

* * *

When they got there, Naruto sat down, looked at Sasuke and asked, "What's up?"

Sasuke tilted his head and asked, "Isn't that my line?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Maybe, but I can tell something's bothering you. Wanna talk about it?"

Sasuke thought for a moment and then said flatly, "Tease and die."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Fair enough."

Sasuke rubbed the back of his head light blush and said, "It's a…a dream I've been having."

"About me?" Naruto asked jokily.

"I'm leaving," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Sorry, sorry. Go on," he said placating.

Sasuke grunted and came back, then continued. "I was being chased by this weird woman. I tried to escape but she chased me. The weirdest thing was she seemed to teleport through the shadows."

Naruto scratched his chin and beckoned Homura over. He then asked Sasuke before Homura arrived, "Was it creepily realistic?"

Sasuke looked mildly surprised but nodded as Homura joined them.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and said, "I'll be back in a minute."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn't stop them.

* * *

They went to another side of the bridge and spoke.

Sasuke smirked and activated his sharingan to read their lips. What they spoke about confused him to no end.

* * *

"Hey Homura, when a Sekirei reacts to their Ashikabi, can it manifest as dreams?" he asked curiously.

Homura raised an eyebrow and nodded. "There are four levels of reaction. The first is placid, no reaction at all. The second is discovery. That's where the Sekirei starts to become flustered and heated in their Ashikabi's presence. The third is called illusion. That's when dreams become involved. The Sekirei and Ashikabi will have dreams of each other. They start at sparse intervals and escalate until they both have waking dreams of each other. That stage is usually when winging occurs. The fourth and final level is uncontrolled. That's when the Sekirei has gone so long after reacting without being winged that they start losing control of their powers. Most don't get that far. If they do, there's a possibility their powers could backfire and kill them."

Naruto nodded and rubbed his chin in thought.

Homura tilted his head slightly and asked, "Why do you want to know?"

Naruto looked at him and said, "I think Sasuke's having a Sekirei react to him. Which doesn't make sense since he hasn't met any I'm aware of."

Homura shook his head and said, "They don't all happen that way. Sometimes, there is a very specific person a Sekirei is destined to be with and will react without meeting them. I'm guessing he had a dream?"

Naruto nodded.

* * *

Sasuke was completely confused.

He was about to go over and ask when a loud crash was heard.

* * *

Everyone looked to see a spout of water shoot into the air.

Naruto looked at and shouted, "What the?"

The spout suddenly shot several cannonballs of water, Naruto was forced to dodge over and over. He soon realized that whoever that was, was specifically targeting him.

A voice then sounded from the spout, "Water Celebration!"

Naruto was hit with a blast of water and shot into the water.

Homura had an exasperated look and muttered, "Great. It's Panty Flash."

Sasuke happened to read his lips and sweat dropped at that comment.

* * *

Naruto stood up on the water as the spout broke and a figure descended to the water's surface and glared at him hatefully.

Naruto flinched under the glare and then noticed the person he was looking at.

Before him was a gorgeous woman with long, flowing blonde hair and blue eyes much like his own. She wore a long black dress with a short white under dress that exposes a lot of her bust. She wore a black choker with up facing white frills and long brown boots with black stockings.

Naruto would have blushed at her were if not for indignant expression she had and the water swirling around her dangerously. He looked at her and gulped, "Crap."

* * *

In the western area the Hidden Leaf Village, a girl with long blonde hair that went down to the middle of her back, two long bangs down the sides of her face and a series of bangs across her forehead with amber eyes was running across the village. She also wore a white shirt that started as a choker, extended down with a space revealing a large bust, a short orange skirt with a brown leather belt, long orange gloves that went to the middle of her biceps, long black socks that reach the middle of her thighs and short grey boots. She also had a spear strapped to her back. She was running from a group of Sekirei that were chasing her.

Among them was No. 05 Mutsu and with him were two female Sekirei with long blond hair in pigtails, and black dresses with a wide, vertical yellow stripe. One had an eastern style dress with a whip that had one tail. The other had a western style dress and a whip with multiple tails.

The group was chasing the spear wielding blonde to add her to Mikogami's 'collection'.

The girl ran down an alley and stopped with a terrified gasp. Right in front of her was a massive wall, with Mutsu and the others directly behind her.

She turned around held her hand to her chest and cried with horror, "W-what do you want!?"

The girl with the single tailed whip walked up with a smirk and said, "You're going to become our sister, whether you like it or not!" She accentuated her statement by pointing her whip at her.

"Come with us quietly and you won't be hurt," Mutsu said calmly.

The girl tried to meld into the wall to get away when somebody called from the rooftops.

"Leave her alone!"

Everyone looked up to see a man with three Sekirei.

The man had short dark hair and a black leather jacket.

The Sekirei on his left had dark skin, short blonde hair in a hime cut with two long bangs on the side and blue eyes. She wore a simple black leather bra with two gold stars on it and long navy blue gloves that extended to her biceps with similarly colored arm bands just above them. She also wore a tight black miniskirt and long black boots reaching just above her knees.

One of the Sekirei on his left had short black hair and grey eyes with dark skin. She also wore a small black top with an inverted triangle on her collarbone, an extremely short black skirt and shin length black boots.

His last Sekirei had short blonde hair that had brown eyes. She wore a short sleeved red belly shirt, blue capri jeans and knee length white boots along with a sweatband that had a Sekirei crest on it.

Mutsu looked at the man and narrowed his eyes. He then scoffed and said, "Sanada Nishi, Ashikabi of west and his Sekirei Kujika, Kuzuri, and Narashino. How irritating."

All four of them jumped down and Sanada pointed at Mutsu and said, "Alright _Mutsu_, back off from the lady," spitting Mutsu's name.

Mutsu just scowled and said, "None of you stand a chance, now leave and we will wait until a later date to terminate your Sekirei."

"Hey bud! Just 'cuz you're a single digit doesn't mean your invincible," the blonde, Kujika, shouted.

A vein popped in Mutsu's multi-whip wielding companion, "Oh, back off! You won't win even against us!"

Mutsu narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Quiet Mitsuki."

Mitsuki just pouted. Mutsu looked at his other companion and said, "Mitsuha, capture Nanami."

She nodded and dashed forward, only for Sanada to dash in front of her. She reeled back and cried out, "Fast!"

Sanada gave a feral grin and made to punch Mitsuha.

Everyone halted when the ground started shake violently and a sector of the city released a vibrant green light.

* * *

In Yamanaka Flowers, Ino was busy reading a magazine at the register when somebody walked in. She looked up and was about to give her normal greeting when she saw who walked in.

It was a boy with messy silver hair and grey eyes wearing a white button-down, long sleeve shirt with a high folded collar, a black apron, and a light, black backpack and pale shorts.

He walked in and looked around apprehensively.

Ino seeing his blushing face thought, '_Wow, he's so cute. Almost as cute as Sasuke_.'

He looked at her and asked uneasily, "I'm looking for someone. Can you help?"

Ino jumped at his voice and said, '_Can a guy be this adorable?_' Ino nodded dumbly and asked, "Who is it?"

The boy gained a small smile and said, "A little girl with blonde hair and a white dress."

Ino crinkled her brow in thought but stopped when the ground shook. "Woah! What was that!?"

Ino and the boy ran outside and saw a distant park in the village shining with bright green light.

"Ku!" he shouted and ran off.

"Wait!" Ino called.

The boy stopped and turned around with a worried expression.

Ino froze at the expression but then woke up and asked, "Do you know how to get there?"

The boy looked confused for a moment then depressed and shook his head.

Ino walked up to him and said with a smile, "If your friend's in trouble I'll help. I know my way to that park well."

The boy nodded and started to run, but was grabbed on the collar by Ino.

Ino growled and said, "Wait, dammit! I gotta make sure dad knows I'm going out."

She walked back to the store dragging the boy and then shouted loudly, "Hey dad! I'm going out for a bit!"

Without waiting for a response she took off, still dragging the silver haired boy.

* * *

The Third Hokage sat in his office locked in mortal combat with his greatest opponent since the Nine-Tails. Paperwork.

He gave a sigh when he finished half the stack. Suddenly his office shook along with the rest of village.

He stood up and turned around to see a bright green light emanating from one of the Leaf's parks.

He furrowed his brow in concern and decided his shinobi could handle it.

He sighed and turned around, he then grumbled.

All of the paperwork had gotten thrown across the floor. He could do little more than sigh.

* * *

Back in the Land of Waves, Naruto was busy dodging attacks by the newly appeared water wielding woman.

He was clueless to her hostility. She suddenly appeared in a water spout and started attacking him.

After he got a short reprieve, he decided to gather some form of information. "Hey! Why the hell are you attacking me?!" he shouted.

The woman narrowed her eyes and said with an authoritative tone, "Art thou a twit? I am attacking thee for thou art my Ashikabi."

Naruto's face went completely blank. He suddenly shouted, "THEN WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME!?"

She curled back from his shout and retorted, "I refuse to be bound to a monkey such as thee humans. I shalt show my power to the world through mine own means, not through the subjugation of some such ape."

A sigh was heard nearby and the two saw Homura shaking his head with Sasuke standing nearby.

Homura looked tiredly at the woman and said, "Tsukiumi, must you insist on assaulting him?"

She pointed at Naruto and said, "He is my Ashikabi! I refuse to serve a human. Thou must know my pain, for thou art free as well."

Homura chuckled and said, "Nope. I've been winged."

Tsukiumi took a moment to blink. Then shouted, "Thou must jest!"

Homura shook his head, "No, it's true."

Naruto looked between them and then to Sasuke, whose gaze made him gulp. Seeing a chance to get away from Tsukiumi, he mouthed the words, 'Let's go over there and talk,' since he knew Sasuke's sharingan would read it. He pointed to the shore and Sasuke nodded.

The two head away while Homura kept Tsukiumi busy with an argument.

* * *

Naruto walked over to a tree and panted, "Damn, I thought I was a goner." He looked up to thank Sasuke but reeled back at his accusing gaze. He chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of his head and asked, "You probably want to know what's going on, huh?"

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes.

"Well-" he started but was cut off by a shout.

"How dareth thee flee. Ye coward!"

Naruto cringed and said to Sasuke, "Look, I'll explain later but we gotta go now!"

Sasuke was confused but saw an enraged Tsukiumi rushing at them and disappeared.

Naruto's arms hung loosely in astonishment and muttered, "Must've had training from the fangirls." He looked at Tsukiumi and shrieked then took off.

* * *

Tsukiumi was stomping around the forest looking for Naruto and found him and was ready to attack. She stopped when she saw another Sekirei with him.

Naruto was sitting at the river's edge soaking his sore legs with Musubi beside him.

"You okay, Naruto?" she asked worried.

He looked at her and smiled weakly, "Yeah. I just don't know why that woman attacked me out of the blue."

Musubi pumped a fist and said, "Don't worry! If she comes around I'll stop her!"

Naruto chuckled and said happily, "I'm sure you will."

He looked down sadly and said, "I think she's a Sekirei."

Musubi tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

Staring at his reflection he said, "She mentioned not wanting an Ashikabi."

Musubi scrunched her nose in intense thought and asked, "I thought all Sekirei wanted their Ashikabi."

Naruto looked at her with a small smile and said, "Guess not. I just thought she would've stopped attacking me long enough for me to talk."

Tsukiumi narrowed her eyes in suspicion but listened on.

Musubi just listened happily.

"If she did, I would've told that was fine," he said plainly.

Musubi put a finger to her chin and said in confusion, "I thought you wanted more Sekirei?"

Tsukiumi started becoming angry.

Naruto waved her comment off and said, "Nah. I'll always accept more but I find forcing them to be disgusting. I mean that's what Akitsu almost got stuck into and what Toyotama _was_ stuck in. I'd hate to do that to someone."

Musubi had stars in her eyes, "Naruto! You're so amazing!" She immediately tackled him into a hug.

"Ah! Musubi, Musubi! Stop, hahaha that tickles!" he shouted while embraced in her hug. He suddenly went limp when her hug strengthened.

* * *

Kurama facepalmed, **"I'm not sure how many times I can heal his ribs at this rate."**

* * *

Musubi started shaking him and calling worriedly, "Naruto! Naruto!"

Naruto came to and rubbed his sore chest that Kurama was already healing. "Ow, that hurt." He looked up and cringed.

Musubi had a fist balled at her chin with puppy dog eyes and anime tears. "Ooohhh, Naruto I'm so sorry," she said pitifully.

Naruto chuckled weakly and said, "I…It's fine."

They both turned to see Tsukiumi walk out from behind a tree with a serious look.

Naruto jumped up and got into a taijutsu stance, "Great, want more?"

Tsukiumi raised her hand and said, "Nay. I am here only to speak."

Naruto eased up but was still on alert. After he saw she was serious he smiled and nodded. He then said, "What about?"

Tsukiumi narrowed her eyes and asked, "What thee spoke before, was it truth?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Was what true?"

Tsukiumi growled and said, "I queried if what thee spoke was truth!"

Naruto grumbled and retorted, "What are you talking about?"

With an intense blush Tsukiumi finally shouted, "Is what thee said of not winging Sekirei unless they wish it truth!?"

A light bulb seemed to click in the blonde ninja's head. He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed and said, "Oh, you heard that, did you?" After a moment he nodded and said, "Yup. If you don't want to be winged I won't argue. Homura said you were…" he trailed off trying to remember her name.

Tsukiumi walked up to him and said, "Tsukiumi."

He nodded. He was about to speak again when Tsukiumi interrupted.

"Look me in the eyes," she commanded.

Naruto raised a confused eyebrow and asked, "What?"

Tsukiumi sighed again and said, "Look me in the eyes."

Confused Naruto complied and looked her straight in the eyes.

After several seconds Tsukiumi smiled proudly and said, "Good."

Naruto was confused again, "What is?"

"Looked me in the eyes rather than focused upon my bosom. If…" she trailed off, starting to blush. "If…if thee wouldst…" she kept trailing off and blushing deeper and deeper.

Naruto was confused but didn't interrupt.

Finally gathering her confidence and poise, she said with her usual conviction, "If thee wouldst like to be my Ashikabi…I shalt not object."

Naruto looked lost for several seconds before his brain switched on, "Huh?" Was all he could say, before sighing and muttering, "I really wish she would make up her mind."

"What was that?" Tsukiumi said dangerously.

Naruto waved his arms defensively, "Nothing! Nothing! Uhm, right." He coughed into his hand and said, "We should probably introduce ourselves first. I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said as he stuck his hand out.

Tsukiumi walked forward with regal poise, grabbed his hand and said, "I am No. 09 Tsukumi."

They shook hands and Naruto asked seriously, "Are sure you want me to wing you?"

Tsukiumi looked unsure but then nodded and said, "I wouldst rather be winged by thee than be snared and forced upon by some heathen." She blushed intensely and then asked shyly, "Um, so, where shalt we consummate our relationship"

Naruto went blank again before blushing, "What!? Where'd you get that idea?"

She looked irritated and said, "Tis how it works, no? To complete the winging, we must…we must…" she trailed off as she blushed again before smashing him with water and saying, "We must share a body!"

Naruto stood up and shot a nosebleed before bellowing, "NO! THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!"

Tsukiumi was perplexed, "Then, how doth it work?"

Naruto sighed and felt a headache and said, "We kiss."

Tsukiumi face faulted, "That's it!?"

Naruto nodded.

Tsukiumi sighed tiredly, "I do wish she wouldst have explained this."

Naruto was confused but assumed it was her adjustor and said nothing.

Tsukiumi sighed again and said, "Very well. Then let us wing."

Naruto deadpanned, "I wing you, not the other way around."

Tsukiumi felt embarrassed again and yelled, "Just do it!"

Naruto sighed and walked over to her, watching as her fair-skinned face flushed deep pink. Naruto smiled mentally but was externally straight-faced.

He put an arm around her waist and one behind her back, pulling her close as she released a small 'eep'.

He leaned in close and closed his eyes slowly and she did the same. Their lips met in a kiss and Naruto could taste her on his breath. She tasted salty like sea water, but had an underlying sweet taste as well.

Her Sekirei crest lit up on her back and large wings made of water appeared from her back and flexed outward, pushing against and soaking the many trees in the area.

Musubi watched with a content smile as they pulled apart.

Naruto gave a wide grin and Tsukiumi flushed and looked away.

* * *

Little did they know, Sasuke watched off to the side and had every intention of grilling his blonde teammate.

* * *

The bridge was completed two days later and Team Seven plus the new Sekirei prepared to leave.

Naruto and the group were about to cross under the bridge's overhang when a voice called behind them.

"Hey! Wait up!" they all turned to see Inari and the villagers standing behind them.

Naruto smirked and shouted, "Hey, Inari!"

Inari, Tsunami, and Tazuna walked up to the group and Inari said to Naruto, "Thanks, Naruto."

Said blonde blinked a couple of times and said dumbly, "What for?"

Inari chuckled and said, "If it wasn't for you, I...I would've still been too scared to help out."

"Yes, thanks to you, the Land of Waves has regained its strength," Tazuna added.

Naruto chuckled while Sasuke just smirked and Sakura and gave an innocent giggle while she thought, '_Oh yeah, cha! I'm awesome, and so is Sasuke, cha!_'

Homura just sighed and hoped she would stop that soon.

Naruto and company said their goodbyes and continued on the bridge.

Behind them, Tsunami said, "We still need a name for the bridge."

Tazuna nodded and said, "I've got the perfect one. The Great Naruto Bridge."

Tsunami looked at her father slightly confused, so he elaborated.

"The name that brought us strength, so let us hope it brings strength to the bridge too. It should stand for a long time."

* * *

On a small hill overlooking the village, there were two crosses with flowers on them, as well as two headbands. One the crosses two names were inscribed. One said, 'Haku' and the other, 'Zabuza'.

* * *

After walking for about an hour or two, Sasuke walked up to Naruto and put his hand on his shoulder.

Naruto looked at him mildly confused and asked, "What's up Sasuke?"

He looked at Naruto with a serious expression and said, "I want an explanation, Naruto. You said you'd give me one."

Naruto sighed and replied defeated, "I did say that didn't I?"

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes and the blonde began.

"Alright, Alright, stop leering. 'Kay, listen up. This whole thing is top secret and I could actually get in big trouble for telling you this."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and took his hand off the blonde's shoulder. He nodded and Naruto continued.

Naruto said, "This whole thing is some kind of continent wide event called the Sekirei Plan."

"Sekirei Plan?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded and continued, "Basically, there are one hundred and eight people like Musubi and the others. They all have specific chakra abilities that they have up to low jonin control over. They have all been released into the Leaf Village to find a person called their Ashikabi. An Ashikabi is a person with specific type of chakra that the Sekirei react to."

Sasuke nodded and asked, "So what's that got to do with my dream?"

Naruto answered, "Dreams are a way Sekirei react to their Ashikabi. If they go a certain amount of time without being winged their Ashikabi will start receiving mental images of that Sekirei that start off as dreams."

"Winged?" Sasuke asked.

"Oops," Naruto said with an embarrassed tone. "Forgot about that, though I'm not sure how since it's the most important part." He saw how his personal musing were irritating the raven and said, "Calm down. Winging is the process where an Ashikabi binds a Sekirei to themselves."

"Is that what the kiss was for?" he asked, mentioning Naruto's winging of Tsukiumi.

Naruto nodded and said, "That's the most efficient way for a Sekirei to get the necessary amount of chakra from their Ashikabi. Doing that creates the bond. The bond makes so that the Ashikabi can feel their Sekirei's emotions, as well as vice versa."

Sasuke nodded and said, "Alright, I get that much. So what else is there?"

Naruto sighed and said, "A lot actually essentially when a Sekirei has found their Ashikabi, they need to go and fight other winged Sekirei. All of the different Ashikabi will fight with their Sekirei until only one remains."

Sasuke noticed how Naruto's voice filled with disgust as he spoke. "Guess you don't like it?"

Naruto spat, "Course not! The person who's running this whole thing, some insane scientist named Minaka Hiroto, has bred and indoctrinated all of the Sekirei into believing that their only purpose in life is to find, serve, and fight or die for their Ashikabi. I mean, due to some screw up somebody else made, Akitsu was supposedly incapable of being winged and thought she was nothing more than a piece of garbage. It's...it's...it's disgusting that all of the Sekirei believe that their only purpose is to serve somebody else as some kind of slave. And then die for them in the name of some damned 'game'."

Sasuke was surprised; he didn't think Naruto would have such complex convictions about something. He then asked, "So, what do you plan on doing?"

Naruto rubbed his head in annoyance, "I don't know! My basic idea is to try and shut down this game and free the Sekirei from believing they're just things."

Sasuke looked down in thought and asked, "And you think I'm one of these 'Ashikabi'?"

Naruto nodded, "I had a dream about Tsukiumi a few weeks ago, and then I winged her. Plus, Homura told me that one main thing about an Ashikabi when they dream about a Sekirei is how realistic they seem."

Sasuke blushed thinking about his dream, or more specifically what the woman did at the end of the dream each time. He shook the thoughts away and asked, "So, where would I find this Sekirei?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "I wouldn't worry about that. If my experiences are anything to go by, they have a way of finding us."

"How right you are," a silvery voice spoke up behind them.

The two genin tensed and turned around immediately, as did Kakashi and the others.

Sasuke immediately froze.

Standing in front of them was a dark skinned woman with waist length jet black hair, a bikini top under a shawl, along with a buckled sarong and leather knee-high boots. She had a devious smile on her face and walked towards Sasuke, a pink dusting creeping onto her face as the great Uchiha backed away like a little puppy. She giggled and said in a mixture of mocking and amusement, "Awww, is the powerful ninja afraid of me?"

Sasuke pointed and shouted comically, "S-s-stay away!"

"Come now, you're my Ashikabi. You should know I can't do that," she said in a seductive voice that caused every cell in Sasuke's body to shiver violently.

Sakura could only watch in disbelief as this floozy woman closed in on her Sasuke.

Sasuke eventually backed into a tree and looked around fearfully, then looked at her with a strained smile and said, "C-come on, isn't there, some...other way we can do this?"

The woman chuckled with a seductive tone that even got Kakashi a little flustered and said, "Well...there are...other, more intimate methods of winging...so very intimate" She then licked her lips in anticipation as she strutted closer.

Sasuke put his arms in an 'X' pattern and shouted, "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

Sasuke froze as the woman cupped a hand under his chin and said, "Name's Yahan, and I am now...your Sekirei."

Sasuke was about to protest but Yahan claimed his lips for her own. His eyes widened when he felt the pull on his chakra.

Multiple large, dark grey wings expanded out of her back and flexed open, then sunk into the ground and became shadows. Yahan pulled away with a satisfied smirk.

Sasuke looked at her with his face nearly glowing red. Steam then shot out of his ears and he went limp.

Sakura paled and screeched, "Sasuke! NO! What'd you do!?"

Yahan simply chuckled and said, "I didn't do much, just a simple kiss. My guess is that despite his great skills as a shinobi, the boy's got no experience with women. Though I guess his current unconscious state attests to that."

Sasuke simply sat on the ground with steam coming out of his ears and his eyes swirling.

Yahan put a hand over her mouth and giggled and as she knelt down and picked him up. She looked at the other shinobi and said, "Guess that means I'm on the team."

Naruto blinked a couple of times to process what just happened. After he realized that Sasuke had fainted after a kiss, he began rolling around on the ground laughing loudly with tears in his eyes. "I...I...I don't believe it! The great Sasuke! Defeated by a...a...a kiss! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Sakura steamed and shouted, "Stop it Naruto! As for you!" She pointed at Yahan and accused, "Who the hell do you think you are!?"

Homura sighed and said, "His Sekirei, that's how it's supposed to work."

Sakura grumbled and protested, "But...but...grrr, GAH!" She screamed and stomped a couple of times before huffing.

"Oh boy," was all Kakashi could say with a sigh.

* * *

**And now chapter thirteen is out of the way, as is the Land of Waves Arc. There's going to be a chapter or two in between this and the Chunin Exams Arc, mainly covering some of the early parts of Sekirei and getting in some character development.**


	14. The Green Girl

Chapter XIV

**Here's chapter fourteen and the start of bits before the Chunin Exams. Can't think of anything else so let's go onto reviewer responses.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: You have no idea. Writing for Tsukiumi is quite difficult, though it's slightly eased by how much of the damn things I had to read in high school. Also, 'that' scene you sent a while ago now has a place for later on.**

**Exanime Draco: Well that is quite a review. Okay first things first; there is no bond. The bond was a fabrication of the Crest, as Kurama said. I have other ideas for the Sekirei to find out about Kurama that are more emotional. As for powers, she will gain new powers, mainly ice but definitely not fire. I won't say what, if any, other elements she gets; but she will get new powers since the crest had a part in that as well. I won't go into detail yet, but it will be explained later on.**

**Markus-Antonius: Oh it does, both this chapter and the next feature bits with Yahan flirting with Sasuke and him being unable to take it. That being since the most attention he ever got from women was the drooling his fangirls did, he's not used to such direct contact.**

**animecollecter: I've got plans relating to that. **

**Jose19: No, she's not an OC. She's from a Japan only video game called Gifts From the Future. She and the other character from it, Kuruse, will appear in the story too.**

**kendryn: I haven't planned on anyone outside the Leaf Twelve and some jonin getting Sekirei, but I'm thinking of other characters who could have some.**

* * *

After arriving back in the Leaf Village, Naruto and the others were met with an irritated Hiruzen and Kakashi spent quite a bit of time explaining the new Sekirei.

With a sigh, Hiruzen said, "I see. So these new Sekirei are bonded to Sasuke and Sakura now."

"Right," Kakashi said with a nod.

Sasuke could only look to the side with a blush as Yahan hung off his shoulders.

Sakura glared angrily at Yahan while Homura sighed and thought, '_This is getting old fast._'

Hiruzen sighed again and asked Sasuke, "So, what will you do with her?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "It's normal for a Sekirei to start living with their Ashikabi."

Sasuke broke into a glare and shouted, "No way!"

Yahan rubbed his cheek with her hand and whispered seductively, though loud enough to be heard, "What's the matter? Don't you want me with you?"

Sasuke shivered from top to bottom at her words and her breath on his neck and tried to speak but ended up imitating a fish instead.

Naruto couldn't suppress his chuckle and decided to ask, "Hey Yahan, you got somewhere to live?"

She stood up straight and shook her head, though still smirking. She then said, "No. MBI didn't provide a place to live for us."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "But Homura and Uzume were living at Izumo Inn."

Uzume tapped his shoulder and said, "We're a special case. She houses any Sekirei that come to her."

Naruto nodded and was about to speak when Sasuke did first.

"That works for me," he said plainly.

Everyone face faulted and Naruto stood up and said, "Well, whatever. If you want Yahan, I'll talk with Miya about it."

Yahan chuckled and wrapped herself around Sasuke again and said, "I'll be just fine with my Ashikabi."

Naruto snickered and said, "I think that settles it, Sasuke."

Sasuke glowered and grumbled, "Hn, whatever. I'm leaving."

Without another word he left the Hokage's tower.

Kakashi sighed and said, "As cool as he acts, he's really shy. Who knew?"

Sakura had stars in her eyes and thought, _'Hell yeah! Sasuke's so shy! Maybe I can bring him out of it, cha!_'

Homura rubbed his temple and thought, '_She's going to need more tempering it seems._'

Naruto just chuckled and returned to Izumo Inn.

* * *

In Naruto's room, a battle was brewing. Tsukiumi and Musubi stood opposite each other glaring intensely. Tsukiumi with her indignant pride and Musubi with a rather clueless expression.

Naruto just sighed. Their battle was over a very bizarre topic.

Tsukiumi growled and then shouted, "Halt this imbecilic madness, thou art fallacious!"

Musubi glared in irritation and confusion. She then stopped and struck her thinking pose, one finger on her chin and eyes pointed up, "What's fallacious? Is it yummy?"

Both blondes sighed.

Naruto scratched his head and said, "It means wrong, it's just a fancy word."

Musubi bopped her fist onto her hand and said with recognition, "Oh. Then why not just say wrong instead of fal…fala…phallic?"

Tsukiumi blushed intensely and Naruto face faulted then shouted, "THAT'S THE WRONG WORD!"

Ignoring her blush and correcting the fist fighter, Tsukiumi said, "Regardless, thou art misguided, for I am Naruto's legal wife, not thee."

Musubi adopted her rather adorably angry face and said, "So am I!"

Tsukiumi grumbled and said, "No! Thy art only a concubine, as art the others. For I am the highest number in the group, therefore I am his wife."

Akitsu interrupted, "Ah…you are nine, I am seven," she said plainly.

Tsukiumi's face dropped at her oversight and Akitsu gave a lazy thumb up at her victory.

Naruto just rubbed his head furiously and said, "GAH! Whatever!"

Tsukiumi became quite insulted, "Nay! Until the present issue is resolved we cannot proceed normally! I am thy legal wife and the others must be informed of such!"

Naruto growled and said, "Look, technically you all are. You're all my Sekirei and are connected to me on a level deeper than even husband and wife can be. So can you all stop arguing and just get along?" he finished with a hopeful smile.

Akitsu smiled lightly and nodded.

Toyotama smirked while leaning against the wall.

Uzume gave a thumb up and grinned.

Musubi smiled brightly and said, "Yes! That's why you're so great Naruto!"

Naruto chuckled but stopped when Tsukiumi chimed in.

"Unacceptable! Thou can only have one legal wife and that shalt be me!" she shouted in finality.

Naruto lost some of his cool and stood up with anger, "You've got to be joking! Have you even stopped to consider what the hell _I_ think about all this!? I'm not some damn object you can take possession of! I'm a person! And I'd appreciate it if you'd remember that!"

Without another word, Naruto left the room, slamming the door behind him.

All of Sekirei flinched as he did.

Toyotama sighed and rubbed her temple and said plainly, "Way to go."

Tsukiumi glared and shouted, "Pardon! What did I do!?"

Toyotama glared and immediately slapped her across the face. She then bluntly said, "It's like he said. You're not treating him like a person, least of all your precious Ashikabi. You're treating him like a thing you choose what to do with. What if he wanted one of us to be his wife?"

Tsukiumi glared pointedly at her asked, "Such as thee?"

Toyotama's glare deepened and she grit her teeth, "Maybe! Or it could be Uzume or Musubi! What the hell does it matter!? He chose each of us to be his Sekirei, to take up a special place in his heart. And by simply demanding what he decides, on something so big too, you're crushing that choice like it's a piece of trash. So yes, Tsukiumi, this _is_ your fault!"

Tsukiumi was taken aback and was near tears. She wanted to shout but nothing would come out. So she simply ran out of the room crying.

Toyotama sighed and said, "Great."

* * *

Out in town, Naruto was leaning against a railing next to the river with a depressed and angry look on his face.

He simply stared at his reflection in the water and sighed, "So…even with them I'm no different. Dammit," he said as he smacked a fist against the railing.

He looked to his right and saw Kakashi holding something he couldn't identify. He looked closely and then flinched.

Seeing what he was holding, Naruto pointed and asked weakly, "Uh…sensei is that…alcohol?"

Kakashi looked down and nodded, then said lazily, "Yes. Sake actually, wants some?"

Naruto put his hands up and yelled, "What!? No, I'm only fifteen!"

Kakashi eye smiled and said, "Yes, but a ninja is considered an adult by default. Plus, thanks to your *ahem* tenant, you can't get drunk anyway."

Naruto blinked a couple times then sighed. He rubbed the back of his head and said shakily, "Yeah, sure."

Kakashi handed him one of the small bottles.

Naruto thanked him and took a sip, then spit it out. "Blech, this stuff tastes like crap and it burns my throat," he said sticking out his tongue.

Kakashi chuckled and said, "It does that, doesn't it?"

Naruto glared and then became crestfallen again and asked, "Something you want sensei?"

Kakashi looked out on the village and said, "Yeah, originally I bought these to have a drink with Hibiki and Hikari, but then I saw how depressed you looked. I thought you could use a pick-me-up." He finished with an eye smile.

Naruto glared lamely at him.

Kakashi then said, "Plus, I've got some making up to do."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Kakashi looked around and then pointed to a bench.

Naruto nodded and the two sat down.

Kakashi looked at Naruto's expression and thought, '_Laws be damned, I refuse to let him suffer anymore._' He then asked, "Naruto, do you know who your father is?"

Naruto glanced at him and nodded.

Kakashi was hard pressed to hide his surprise, '_Who…riiigght. Must've been…_' "Did the Nine-Tails tell you?" he asked.

Naruto looked at Kakashi surprised, "How did you-"

"Lord Third told me privately when he assigned me as your sensei that you've been communicating with the Nine-Tails. At first I was worried, but after seeing the way you are now, I'm not as concerned. Though I still need to-"

He was interrupted when Naruto put his hand up. He replied, "Don't worry sensei, I know. Actually," he started, looking at the sky. "The Nine-Tails isn't that bad."

Kakashi grew concerned and said, "Be that as it may. The Nine-Tails is still the one that killed my sensei and your father."

Naruto nodded and tried to reassure him, "He'd prefer I didn't give you the details, but it wasn't really his decision to attack the village."

Kakashi was skeptical but went along with it.

Naruto continued, "Anyway, yeah, I know the Fourth is my dad. Why'd you ask?"

Kakashi sighed in a mixture of relief and anxiety and said, "Because. There's a law in the village that states we aren't allowed to tell you of your heritage."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Then…"

Kakashi answered quickly, "Your father, my sensei, treated me like a son after _my_ father died. He was always there for me, and holding me up. After he died sealing the Nine-Tails, I told myself I would do everything I could to help you." Kakashi's look became hard as he continued, "But that damned council. They thought you _were_ the Nine-Tails and prevented me from doing anything, from adopting you from the orphanage to simply watching over you."

Naruto's eyes widened at that, "Didn't you? I mean the Nine-Tails killed your sensei, so didn't you-"

Kakashi interrupted and looked at Naruto, "Yes I hated and still hate the Nine-Tails, but I know enough about sealing jutsu and you personally to know that it and you are completely separate entities. Even if you weren't, I'd still have tried just because you are Minato sensei's child."

Naruto was in disbelief; he tried to speak but ended up just looking like a fish.

Ignoring his student's state, Kakashi continued, "Since I was prevented from doing anything else, I signed up to be on your rotated ANBU guard and jumped in any time somebody else wasn't available. It was difficult, but I managed to repel most of the beatings and mobs heading your way. I wasn't able to stop them all, simply because I would be removed from your watch if I harmed one of those morons."

Naruto hung on his every word as he spoke.

Kakashi sighed and said, "But it was just that once, that one attack eight years ago on your birthday. I can't say for certain, but I think it was purposefully set up that I was never in your guard detail on you birthday, even though I would be on those same days at other times. I heard about it after the fact and rushed to find you. All I saw was the aftermath." Kakashi's eye became misty as he thought back, "It took everything I had not to go insane, I saw you there, trashed by those…those…_people_," he spat the word like poison with clenched fists. "Fortunately, one of my comrades, and one of the few other ANBU who agreed that you weren't a beast, was there to stop it before it became fatal." Kakashi looked at Naruto and was about to speak when he saw the blonde's face.

Naruto had tears running down his face, "You…you actually…you really cared that much?"

Kakashi eye smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It took a lot of work, but I got you on my squad too. They originally wanted to put Kiba in since his scores were worse than yours."

Naruto's head dropped and he said in disbelief, "Are you serious? I thought I managed to get the lowest scores."

Kakashi chuckled and said, "Nope, somehow Kiba beat you on that end. And he wasn't even trying to."

They both laughed at that before Naruto asked, "Hey sensei-"

He was stopped by Kakashi, "No, when we're talking like this, just call me Kakashi, since I'd like to think we're family. Even if I couldn't be there for you."

Naruto was in shock but quickly gave a wide, toothy grin that closed his eyes, "You got it, Kakashi!"

Kakashi smiled and said, "You were saying?"

Naruto nodded and asked again, "What was…what was my dad like?"

Kakashi looked up in thought and shrugged, "Well, he was kind, strong, steadfast, and very selfless."

Naruto raised a confused eyebrow and asked, "Selfless?"

Kakashi nodded, "You remember from the history books about your father's famous battle against over a thousand Stone ninja?"

Naruto nodded.

"Using his most famous jutsu, the Flying Raijin, he was able to defeat them all in a matter of minutes singlehandedly. But after that, his thoughts weren't on his incredible feat, even though he was being praised for it. Or the people on his side he saved, even though he was infinitely glad he did. No, his thoughts were preoccupied with all the people he just killed. That's the way he was really, he was always more concerned about others than himself. That's part of the reason he did what he did to you."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion, so Kakashi elaborated.

"He was willing to sacrifice his life to save the village, and he also believed so strongly that the village would see you not as the vessel for the Nine-Tails, but its cage." Kakashi looked down and squeezed his sake bottle, "But they were too blind to see that. All everyone saw was you being the physical manifestation of it. I tried, damn did I try, to change their minds or do something to get you out of harm's way. But the council stopped me at every turn, nothing I did got through because of them. And as much as I respect Lord Hokage, I just feel he could've helped a bit more on that end."

Naruto chuckled mirthlessly and said, "I never thought somebody felt that way about me. As for gramps, he didn't do anything because the council could cause more problems for him than they do already and drain what little power he has left. I wish I could help him but I can't."

Kakashi smiled under his mask and said, "I know how you feel."

Naruto looked at him and smiled. He then said, "Hey, Kakashi."

Kakashi looked at him said, "What is it?"

"Thank you," he said simply.

Kakashi's eye widened.

"This is, this is the first time anyone but my Sekirei has simply talked to me like this. As something other than the Nine-Tails," he said trembling.

Kakashi felt his ire for the village grow. '_How could they treat someone, a kid no less, like this?_'

It was at that moment that the owner of the nearby store walked out and looked to see Naruto. He stomped over and began shouting, "Get lost brat?"

He froze when Kakashi sent him a cold glare. "I advise you to just walk away."

The man trembled with anger but wasn't interested in having a conflict with a jounin and just swore under his breath as he stomped off.

Kakashi sighed and then looked at Naruto, who had his attention off in the distance.

He followed his stare and saw the strange anomaly they noticed right after entering the village.

* * *

_Kakashi and the group, tired and beaten walked up to the village gate and Naruto shouted, "Yippee! Finally home!"_

_Kakashi sighed and muttered, "And you were the one so desperate to go on a mission_away_from the village."_

* * *

_They walked up to the guards. The two eternal chunin gate guards of the Leaf, Kotetsu and Izumo._

_Izumo had shoulder length dark brown hair that covered his right eye and had a bandana style headband with the Leaf symbol on the forehead protector. He wore the standard Leaf chunin uniform with one difference. The collar of the dark blue shirt he wore under the vest went up to his chin and wrapped around the lower part of his head._

_Kotetsu had long, black spikey hair that went in every direction and had dark-colored eyes. He had a bandage strip that crossed over the bridge of his nose and also had a small square marking on his chin the same color as his hair, although it was not hair. He wore the standard Leaf chunin uniform without the high collar that Izumo had._

_Kotetsu looked at the group and said, "Wow, finally back are ya? 'Bout time."_

_Kakashi chuckled nervously but stopped when he heard several gasps from his squad. He paid a small bit of recognition to the two chunin before joining his squad._

_His eye went as wide as theirs at what he saw._

_Despite them being on the southern end of the village, they could clearly see a large mass of vine-like trees protruding from a park on the northwestern end of the village._

"_What's that?" Sakura asked breathlessly as she shielded her eyes from the sun._

"_Not sure, but it makes me uncomfortable. Come on; let's go report to the Hokage."_

_They all nodded and chose to momentarily ignore the massive forest in the middle of the village._

* * *

Kakashi looked to Naruto and asked, "Any ideas?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "Not sure. We should check it out later."

Kakashi nodded and they began walking.

* * *

They soon passed by Yamanaka flowers and saw Ino at the desk looking depressed.

Naruto looked and then saw another person next to her. He sent some of Kurama's chakra to his eyes and realized this person was a Sekirei.

Kakashi saw Naruto's expression and asked, "Something wrong?"

Naruto nodded and said quietly, "That boy," pointing to Shiina next to the desk, "he's a Sekirei."

Kakashi nodded back and walked in.

Ino saw them and got into her professional persona and said cheerfully, "Hey, welcome to Yamanaka Flowers!"

Naruto put up a hand and said, "We're actually not here for flowers."

Ino scowled and asked irritated, "What do _you_ want Naruto?"

Naruto scowled and pointed to Shiina.

Ino looked at him and became worried. She asked, "Oh, what do you want with Shiina?"

Kakashi decided to interject before Naruto said anything stupid, "Don't ask how, but we know he's a Sekirei."

She perked up immediately and then became frantic. "Wait, y-you don't want to…terminate him, do you?"

Kakashi put a hand and eye smiled, "No, not at all. You see, both Naruto and I are Ashikabi."

"Really, you too?" she asked.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow, "Wait, so _you're_his Ashikabi?"

Ino glared and asked, "Yeah, so?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Whatever. I just happen to notice he was staring at the forest over in the north and wanted to see what either of you knew."

Shiina nodded and said meekly, "Yes. It was created by another Sekirei. My surrogate sister Kusano."

"Kusano?" Naruto said. Suddenly it clicked. "Hey, I know you! You're the boy that showed up to take Ku back!"

Ino immediately straightened and asked, "You know Ku?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I met her during one of our very first missions. After spending the day with us, he showed up and took her back to…wherever it was."

Shiina nodded, "My name is Shiina, No. 107. A few days ago, Ku escaped from the lab and I was sent to bring her back."

At the mention of a lab, Naruto tensed up but hid it.

Shiina looked down in disheartenment and said, "I spent two days looking for her and didn't find her until the explosion of plants. That's when I met Ino."

Ino blushed and said, "Yyyeeaahh, the winging just kinda…happened."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance and Kakashi just sighed.

Shiina looked at them pleadingly and said, "Please, you have to help! I-I don't know what to do! She's stuck in that forest she made with who knows how many Ashikabi trying to forcefully wing her! I…I can't sit by and let it happen. Please-"

He was cut off when Naruto put a hand up. Naruto looked at the two of them and smiled, "Of course we'll help."

Shiina beamed but then became worried, "But, you're a rival Ashikabi."

"So?"

Shiina looked at him in disbelief.

Ino raised an eyebrow.

He looked at the two of them with determination and clenched one of his fists. "This…this game…this whole damn thing is disgusting!"

The two of them gasped and Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Raising and indoctrinating the Sekirei into believing that they have no purpose without some kind of master! And then, to make them fight to the death all in the name of some twisted freak's idea of entertainment!"

Ino looked at Naruto and thought, '_When did Naruto get so cool?_'

Naruto grit his teeth and said, "I have no interest in going around defeating other Sekirei, or having my own defeated. So yes, I'll help you rescue Ku, and I have absolutely nothing in it. I'll help you because she's your family. Maybe not by blood but that doesn't matter!"

Shiina had tears in his eyes and bowed with his head to the ground and shouted, "Thank you!"

Naruto smiled and said, "Come on, stand up."

Shiina nodded and did as he said.

Naruto looked at Ino and asked, "Is anyone else on your team an Ashikabi?"

Ino thought for a moment and said, "Not that I know of, but considering how secretive the Sekirei Plan is I doubt they'd just tell me if they were."

Naruto nodded and spoke to Kakashi, "Kakashi, I want to request a C-rank mission to rescue Ku."

Kakashi was almost taken aback as looked at Naruto. The expression he wore was the exact same one Minato had the night he fought the Nine-Tails. This in mind, plus the knowledge that Naruto would do it regardless caused Kakashi to relent. He sighed and said, "Alright. But somebody has to foot the bill."

Naruto nodded with a smirk and said, "I'll take care of that, you just worry about getting Sasuke and Sakura to the forest."

Kakashi nodded and Ino piped up.

"Wait, Sasuke and Sakura? What for?" she asked in confusion.

Naruto looked at her and said, "They're Ashikabi too. Plus they're my teammates so it's only right to bring them along."

Ino was in shock, she hadn't ever seen this side of Naruto before. All she could do was nod dumbly.

* * *

The next day found Team Seven in the Hokage's mission room, standing in front of the desk with disbelief.

Sakura stepped forward and asked, "Wait, another C-rank already?"

The Third nodded and said, "Yes, an anonymous client has requested a C-rank mission and paid for it up front."

Kakashi scrunched his brow in confusion, then thought, '_He probably asked to not be identified._'

Hiruzen then continued, "It has to do with the large forest that sprung up the other day. The client has requested that a person within the forest be rescued, since there are unsavory individuals who would try to take this person."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Sakura's face contorted in confusion.

Seeing this, Hiruzen decided to reveal a bit more. "The forest was made by a Sekirei. And there others within the village who would try to forcefully wing a Sekirei with powers like that of the First Hokage."

After their surprise died down, the two genin nodded.

"Also, a member of Team Ten was requested for this mission as well," the old man added.

"Team Ten? Which one is that again?" Sakura asked.

The door behind them opened and Ino, along with Shiina, walked in.

Sakura pointed in disbelief, "What!? Ino!?"

Ino just glared at her and said calmly, "I'm not in the mood Sakura."

Sakura shrunk back and thought, '_Whoa, she was actually scary for a second._'

Ino looked at Kakashi and Naruto, the two of them nodded. She did so in return, leaving the other genin and Sekirei confused.

Hiruzen looked the group over and said, "Lastly, this is a secret mission. So it is advisable that you arrive in separate groups to lessen suspicion."

The group nodded and Hiruzen ordered, "Dismissed!"

* * *

Entering his office, Hiruzen noticed a piece of paper on his desk. He raised an eyebrow and opened it.

His confusion heightened when he saw it was a request to meet with the council, from Naruto.

He looked out of his window in concern and thought, '_Ever since the Mizuki Incident that boy's been nothing but trouble. At least he's not playing pranks anymore._'

He sighed one last time at the letter and decided to face his greatest foe, paperwork. Seeing the massive stack of it, he glared at Minato's picture and cursed him.

* * *

Naruto arrived back at the inn to see the elegant landlady waiting for him with a serious expression.

He walked up to her and asked, "Something wrong?"

"Here," she said simply and handed him a letter. "This came for you in the mail. Don't worry, I didn't read it."

He smiled at her and said, "Never thought you would."

She returned her own soft smile as he opened and read the letter.

As he reached the bottom his face paled and his eyes widened.

Seeing his expression, Miya asked, "What's wrong?"

* * *

Kakashi had just reached his apartment and saw Hikari leaning in the doorway holding an opened letter.

She looked at him seriously and said, "You should read this."

He nodded and took the letter. After he finished his eye narrowed with irritation.

* * *

Sakura had just taken her shoes off when her mother called.

"Sakura! You got a letter in the mail!" she called happily.

Sakura grumbled and asked, "You didn't read it did you?"

Her mother came to the doorway and handed her the letter saying, "Heavens, no. They say it's bad luck if you're not the first person to read a love letter."

"Mooom!" Sakura said with annoyance. She opened the letter and gasped at the end, "Oh no!"

* * *

Sasuke had just reached his home when he noticed a letter in the mailbox.

He looked at it and thought, '_Nobody delivers to the Uchiha district. This can't be good._'

He pulled the letter out of the box and 'tsk'ed when he finished it.

Yahan peeked over his shoulder, making sure her chest was pressed firmly against his back. She frowned when it had no effect and asked, "What's it say?"

Sasuke read it out loud, "Attention all Ashikabi. Beginning tonight is the race for the Green Girl. Head to the forest in the center of the village to claim your prize. Signed: MBI"

* * *

Naruto crumpled the letter and said, "Damn it!" He sighed angrily and said, "Looks like we can't wait for nightfall like we planned."

He stopped when one of the shadows on the inn's deck darkened and Yahan came out.

Miya reacted instantly and reached for her sword, but stopped when Naruto put a hand up. She reassumed her meek landlady appearance but kept her eyes locked on Yahan.

Yahan looked at Naruto and said seriously, "Sasuke thinks everyone should go to the park now."

Naruto nodded and said to her, "Why don't you tell Kakashi sensei, I'm sure Ino and Shiina are already on their way. I'll alert Sakura."

Yahan nodded and sunk back into the shadow.

Miya was about to interrogate Naruto but he had already left through the front gate. She settled for an uneasy sigh.

* * *

The Ashikabi all arrived at a rooftop off to the side of the forest and began discussing their plans.

"Alright, the first thing we need is to know Kusano's location," Kakashi said. He looked at Naruto and ordered, "Since you're our sensor, can you find her?"

Naruto nodded and Ino blinked in surprise.

'_Naruto's a sensor type? Geez, how many more surprises does he have?_' she thought.

Sasuke looked at the group and asked, "Anyone reacting to her?"

"Obviously you're not. And even if I was, these two," Kakashi paused, pointing to his Sekirei, "would fry me before I could wing her."

They just glared at him with lightning sparking at their fingertips.

Sakura put a hand to her chin in thought and said, "I can't think of anything that would point out that I am."

Kakashi nodded and looked at Ino, who shook her head.

Despite still stretching his senses to find her, Naruto mindlessly said, "Not me either." His eyes shot open and he said, "Found her!"

"Where!? Where!?" Shiina asked frantically.

Naruto pointed and said, "A little off the center of the park. She's alive, and still unwinged, but not moving."

"She's probably petrified, poor thing," Ino said sadly.

Kakashi looked around and then tensed. He whispered just loud enough for his team to her him, "Sh, quiet!" He pointed to the gates below and they saw three people approach the front gates that were guarded by several shinobi not from any particular village.

Naruto looked at the guards and noticed their headbands had 'MBI' printed on them, obviously declaring their affiliation to the conglomerate.

He then turned his attention to the approaching group.

* * *

In the lead was No. 05 Mutsu, behind and to his right was No. 43 Yomi. The last one on Mutsu's left he didn't recognize.

She had long black hair in a style similar to Musubi's, tied at the back into a long thin ponytail, except that her bangs split. She had an out of touch expression and wore a long gray kimono. What intrigued Naruto the most was her weapon. A long, jagged, double-ended bladed weapon that resembled a large, two-pointed shuriken. One end was long and curved, with a dip near the middle of the weapon and the Sekirei crest on it while the other end was straight with a jagged blade. Despite her airheaded expression, the way she held the large blade showed experience and skill, not good for his side.

The guards in front of them wore the normal Leaf ANBU uniforms, except they were all black with simple, matching white masks with the Sekirei crest on them. One of the guards stepped forward with an arm mounted kunai launcher and ordered, "Identify yourselves!"

Yomi was about to speak but was silenced by Mutsu. He looked at the ANBU with a bored expression and said, "Let us through, or you will die."

Without another word, the front ANBU twitched two fingers and the others launched into action.

They all ran at Mutsu and the other two with a variety of weapons.

Mutsu just sighed, tapped his sword on the ground and said, "Ground Spike Graveyard."

Immediately multiple massive spikes made of stone lurched out of the ground and impaled the ANBU, killing them instantly.

The leader clenched a fist and began going through hand signs, but before he could finish Mutsu tapped his sword again.

"Ground Spike," he said plainly.

Multiple smaller spikes shot from the ground in mushroom shape and impaled the ANBU multiple times, tearing them to pieces.

* * *

On the roof, Sakura and Ino had their hands over their mouths in order not to vomit.

The others just glared.

* * *

Down on the ground Mutsu began giving out orders, "Alright, Yomi, you go get the Green Girl, Himeko and I will stand guard."

Yomi grumbled and said, "Whatever. I'll be back."

* * *

Kakashi looked to his team and worked out a plan. "Okay, listen up. Mutsu is at least high jonin level, he would slaughter any one of you in single combat."

Sasuke clenched his teeth at that remark but accepted its truth.

"Hibiki, Hikari and I will deal with Mutsu. Sasuke, you and Yahan deal with the other one. Naruto," he waited for the blonde to look at him, "can you spare anyone?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Toyotama and Tsukiumi should be able to help." He looked at Sasuke who nodded. Naruto continued, "I'll leave them to you then, Sasuke. Just don't do anything stupid or let anything happen." He emphasized the point with a rigid stare.

Sasuke nodded and said, "Don't worry Naruto, they'll be fine."

Naruto looked away and mumbled, "It's not just them I was talking about."

"What was that?" Sasuke asked absentminded.

Naruto just waved it off.

Kakashi nodded, "Alright then, the rest of you go with Naruto. While you're in there he's in command."

Ino and Sakura froze and simultaneously accused, "You can't be serious!"

Kakashi gave them a stern look and returned his attention to Mutsu and Himeko. "You'll likely encounter Yomi while you're in there, be careful. Sasuke and I will head down first to draw their attention, Naruto and the others will leave when he thinks they're sufficiently distracted."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded while Sakura and Ino sighed.

Kakashi then prepared to give the order, "…Ready…now!"

Immediately, Kakashi, Hikari, Hibiki, Sasuke, Yahan, Toyotama, and Tsukiumi took off towards the battlefield.

Sakura and Ino sighed again and Ino said irritated, "Wonderful. Naruto will probably have us take off immediately."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

They both perked up, however, when they noticed he hadn't yet given the order.

They bathed their attention on him in surprise as he waited silently. After several seconds he finally motioned silently to go and shot off.

Sakura and Ino took a moment to catch up with his speed and they along with the others joined in as he ran under the cover of the shadows.

* * *

Mutsu and Himeko stood waiting for Yomi to return when they both heard a noise to their left.

They both tensed their grip on their weapons.

Mutsu grit his teeth when he noticed the new group contained Kakashi. He said with annoyance, "So, we meet again, Kakashi."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and said, "So we do, Mutsu." Kakashi pulled out a kunai and got into a taijutsu stance as the Lightning Twins did the same with lightning crackling at their hands.

Hikari pulsed chakra from her feet and launched into the air while Kakashi ran straight for Mutsu and Hibiki flanked him.

Mutsu frowned and said, "Pointless." He swept his sword along the ground in an arch and said, "Ground Spike Barrage."

Spikes of rock launched from the arc he made, rocketing towards Hibiki and Kakashi.

Hibiki brought up her hands and called out, "Polarity Wall!" A wall of electricity formed in front of her that spikes smashed into. She grunted as the force pushed her back.

Kakashi surged chakra from one of his feet and flipped over the spikes and continued his charge against Mutsu. He swung his kunai forward and Mutsu partially unsheathed his sword to block it.

The point of Kakashi's kunai clanged against the flat edge of Mutsu's blade and he could see himself in the reflection as they struggled for dominance.

Mutsu finally relented when he noticed the twins barreling at him with charged punches. He pulled back, causing Kakashi to stumble, spun clockwise and landed a kick in Kakashi's sternum and sent him tumbling before jumping back to dodge the incoming attacks.

He winced and noticed a cut on his shoulder. He looked at the trio and said with a bored tone, "Not bad." He charged forwards at blinding speeds and swiped his sword in an arc, barely missing the lightning trio.

Kakashi cursed at his speed and said, "Damn. Looks like I'm going to need the sharingan for this one." He uncovered his right eye and opened it.

Mutsu had no response towards this and instead continued his attack.

Kakashi gripped multiple kunai in both hands. He had his fingers through the rings of five on each hand and had four in between his fingers. He launched the barrage of eighteen kunai and said, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" The eighteen kunai became ninety in a massive smoke burst that barreled towards the Sekirei.

Mutsu narrowed his eyes and stabbed the ground, calling out, "Shield Wall!" A massive wall of stone rose out of the ground and blocked the kunai. Mutsu narrowed his eyes again but widened them and moved just as the ninety kunai exploded.

With minor singes and the pressure damage he was shot backwards and flipped several times before landing and skidding along the ground. He jumped again as the twins shot two concentrated blasts of lightning that he barely dodged.

Kakashi came up to his side with another kunai ready to strike.

Mutsu grit his teeth and smacked Kakashi's arm away but received a punch to the stomach in return.

Kakashi then said, "And this…is for earlier!" He did a spinning heel kick that slammed into Mutsu's chest and sent him tumbling.

He stood up with the wind knocked out of him and said while catching his breath, "You-you're stronger than before."

Kakashi assumed another battle stance as his Sekirei landed beside him and said calmly, "I wasn't trying before, didn't want to cause too much damage. But now," he stopped as he made several hand signs.

Mutsu prepared for another strike as Kakashi finished his signs.

"Now, I'm not so worried." He slammed his hand onto the ground and shouted, "Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall!"

Mutsu looked around in surprise as a veritable stadium was made by surrounding walls of stone.

Kakashi glared and said, "Now you won't get away."

Mutsu grit his teeth and tapped his sword on the ground.

Kakashi launched forward and said, "Oh no you don't!"

"Smashin-" Mutsu tried his signature move but was stopped by a punch from Kakashi. He tried to knee his gut but the jonin caught it and flipped over his back and tried a sweep kick. Mutsu jumped forward and tapped his sword lightly at an angle and launched several stone spikes that Kakashi jumped over.

Kakashi then launched a barrage of shuriken and kunai.

The twins looked at the two frazzled and Hikari said, "We should just stay out of it, shouldn't we?"

Hibiki nodded weakly as the intense battle continued.

Mutsu glared as another kunai grazed him. He decided to fully unsheathe his sword and launch himself at Kakashi.

Kakashi pulled out a chakra blade and met his attack and the two locked blades.

Mutsu grit his teeth as he felt them match evenly.

Kakashi then flinched as he felt another pull of chakra from the sharingan.

Mutsu noticed this and took advantage by slamming his into Kakashi's stomach.

Kakashi stumbled back as he coughed some blood into his mask.

"Kakashi!" the twins shouted. Without missing a beat they divided and flanked Mutsu prepared to strike.

Mutsu was about to continue his assault on Kakashi when he saw the twins flank him. He jumped back as they shot lightning blasts at his location. He raised an eyebrow however when, instead of frowning that they missed, the twins smirked. He quickly realized why.

Their stream of lightning had conjoined and become one long strand.

Kakashi grabbed the middle and the twins encircled Mutsu.

He looked around as the completely surrounded him with a ring of lightning and said, "Damn."

The Lightning Trio then called out simultaneously, "Lightning Eye!"

The circle then filled with lightning and Mutsu hollered in pain as the massive circle of lightning electrocuted him thoroughly.

Straining to move with the electricity surging through his body, he tapped his sword against the ground and released his charge technique.

The three lightning users stumbled as the ground below them fractured and caved in.

Kakashi was stable just long enough to see Mutsu escape through the top of the surrounding wall. He surged chakra from his feet and covered his sharingan as he gave chase.

The two of them reached the top of the wall and prepared to fight when an explosion within the forest stopped them.

They both looked at it in confusion. Kakashi quickly turned his attention to Mutsu but sighed when he realized he was gone. Unable to decide if he should give chase or not he simply fell on his ass with a grumble.

* * *

Sasuke approached Himeko who had a dopey smile on her face.

Despite her carefree and absentminded expression Sasuke felt unnerved. He looked at her and smirked, "Guess you're our opponent, eh?"

Himeko smiled and got into a loose stance and said happily, "So it seems. I hope we all have fun together."

Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine. Everything about her screamed useless, but something about her sent chills to his bones. He calmed down when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to his right with mild surprise and saw Yahan smiling at him, for the first time honestly instead of seductively.

She said calmingly, "Your first Sekirei battle? They tend to be a bit more, informal, than shinobi battles, but you'll be fine."

Though he didn't show it, he appreciated her words. He smirked and said, "Of course I will."

"Art thou done jabbering?" Tsukiumi asked shortly as water formed into blades around her arms. "For I wouldst like to finish this conflict swiftly."

Toyotama just smirked and got into a staff battle stance and said, "The first fight with a new Ashikabi, wonder how it'll be."

Sasuke saw their confidence and couldn't suppress his smirk, "Alright. Let's do this!"

He charged at Himeko and launched several shuriken.

Himeko reacted instantly and twirled her blade around, deflecting them all.

Toyotama came up on her right with a jab that Himeko deflected with her blade.

Himeko then came in with a stab using the reverse side that Toyotama barely dodged, getting a small scrape in the process.

Yahan appeared in front of her with her own weapon. A curved dagger with a small jewel near the base. She smirked and ran towards Himeko, before feinting and running around her. She then depressed the jewel on her dagger and a portion of the blade shot off attached to a wire.

She looped the launched section through a hole on Himeko's blade.

Said Sekirei watched in mindless awe as she did this, then gave a sleepy smile and tugged on the blade, lurching Yahan off her feet. Himeko then dashed towards the Sekirei and tried to kick her but was stopped by a wall of water.

Tsukiumi slashed at her with her water encased arm but Himeko met her blow for blow. She scowled and said, "Foul wench, stop blocking."

Himeko then responded in a sleepy tone, "But if I do that, you'll hit me."

Tsukiumi gained a tick mark and said, "That's the point!" She tried for another jab but the sleepy looking Sekirei jumped acrobatically over and was met by a tag team of Sasuke and Yahan.

Yahan launched her blade while Sasuke threw a kunai attached to ninja wire.

The two weapons lodged in Himeko's blade and the duo ran around her, tying her up.

Himeko looked with a drowsily impressed expression before twirling her blade again and snapping the wires, sending the two fighters slamming into each other.

Rubbing his sore face, Sasuke grunted and said, "For someone who seems so out of it she's good."

Yahan nodded while nursing the bump on her cheek.

"Water Celebration!" Tsukiumi shouted as multiple streams of water launched at Himeko.

Himeko mindlessly danced through the jets with only getting wet before turning and dashing at the water user with extreme speed.

To stop her, Toyotama went for an upward slash that Himeko blocked by slamming her blade down and hurtling over it.

She gave an expression surprise when Tsukiumi punched her in the face, sending her skidding across the ground. She put a hand to her face and had a shocked expression and said sluggishly, "You actually hit me. I'm impressed."

Tsukiumi growled and said, "Gah! Tis not a fair fight! Sekirei combat is supposed to be one on one. I cannot concentrate with ye interlopers!"

Sasuke glared and said, "We're having just as much trouble as you." Sasuke scowled and then got an idea. "Hey, Tsukiumi, can you surround her in a water prison?"

Tsukiumi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Dost thy mean a bubble?"

Sasuke twitched and eyebrow and said, "Yes, basically."

Tsukiumi scoffed and said, "Naturally. That thee would have to question me is insulting."

Sasuke went into a full scowl and shouted, "I was just making sure!"

Tsukiumi sighed and said, "So be it. What is thy plan?"

Himeko saw the group talking and put a finger to her chin and said lazily, "I hope they're not planning anything."

Tsukiumi nodded with a smirk and said, "That may work."

Sasuke smirked back and said, "Just wait for my signal."

Tsukiumi scowled and said, "Just do not tarry too long."

Sasuke gained a tick mark but suppressed it and moved to attack Himeko.

Himeko smiled lazily and charged at him as well.

He pulled something out of his pack and held it in the air. It was a large with four curved blades on it. Sasuke held it up and flicked his wrist, causing three of the blades to move and form a large shuriken. He held it in front of him and smirked, "Demon Wind Shuriken, windmill of shadows!"

Himeko started clapping.

Sasuke nearly face-faulted and pointed at her saying, "Wha-why are you clapping!?"

She held a hand to her cheek while her other arm was through the hole on the blade and said sleepily, "That was so cool."

Sasuke immediately became frazzled and twitched several times before saying with confusion, "Okay, whatever." Shaking his cobwebs free he continued his charge as Himeko did the same. Their blades locked and they pulled apart, side stepped before slashing again and did this several times. Slashing with their blades colliding, then pulling apart before sidestepping and attacking again.

To an outsider it would look like a dance.

After several seconds Sasuke launched a sweep kick that tripped Himeko and shouted, "NOW!"

Tsukiumi immediately raised an arm and trapped Himeko in a sphere of water.

She tried to get free but couldn't move; she then looked at Sasuke and blinked in confusion several times.

He smirked, placed a hand on the sphere and said, "Lightning Style Current!"

The sphere was surged with electricity that shocked and electrocuted Himeko inside.

She released muffled screams as she was zapped within the bubble. After several seconds the sphere collapsed and Himeko fell in a heap, with the puddle around her sparking.

Sasuke was about to check her condition when there was an explosion in the forest.

He looked in that direction and shouted, "What the!"

Kakashi ran up to him and said, "It's probably Naruto, let's hurry!"

Sasuke nodded and the entire group ran into the forest to check on the situation.

* * *

Right after the battles against Mikogami's Sekirei began, Naruto and the others dashed off into the forest.

After running down a path for a bit, Ino suddenly stopped and then changed direction.

Naruto watched her leave and called, "Hey! Where are you going!?"

She turned back and shouted, "I think Ku's this way!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow but followed nonetheless, as did the others.

"Hey Naruto," Homura said, getting the blonde to stop.

"Yeah what's up? Actually, let's keep walking while we talk, don't want Ino getting too far ahead."

Homura nodded and continued to speak while they ran. "We need to be careful, I have reason to believe Sanada Nishi is here."

"Why's that?" the blonde asked.

"He's known as a gatherer of Sekirei," the fire user said with poorly hidden disgust.

Naruto crinkled his eyes in confusion, "Ya mean like Mikogami?"

Closing his eyes in thought for a moment, Homura responded, "No, not exactly. He gathers them, but he doesn't wing them."

Naruto was utterly confused now. "What sense does that make?"

Homura shook his head, "Not sure. But the weirdest thing is that he doesn't keep them."

It was Sakura who interjected this time, "Wait. What do you mean 'doesn't keep them'?"

Homura looked at her and said, "The Sekirei he gathers but doesn't wing, if they start reacting to an Ashikabi, and that Ashikabi happens upon the Sekirei, he lets them go. For a fee though."

"Great, another jackass who sees this whole thing as a way to entertain himself," Naruto deadpanned.

Musubi spoke next, "That's horrible. How could someone use the sacred bond between an Ashikabi and Sekirei to make money?"

Naruto was actually impressed by the contempt in her eyes. She suddenly seemed…more mature.

They all stopped when they heard a scream.

* * *

They ran to the location and found Ino kneeling on the ground with a wound on her side and Yomi standing nearby, struggling to keep Kusano calm.

"Lemme go! Lemme go! I wanna go see big brother Shiina!" Kusano shouted, kicking and flailing her little limbs.

Yomi glared and said, "Cut it out ya lil runt! If you don't I'll hack of your limbs! After all, you don't your hands to make these things grow do you?" She taunted the small blonde with an evil smirk.

Kusano wouldn't stop flailing and crying for Shiina.

Yomi then got an even bigger smirk and taunted, "Alright pipsqueak! If you don't stop flailing," she paused and pointed her scythe at Shiina who was trying to help Ino and said, "I'll hack 'im to pieces!"

Kusano immediately stopped flailing and resorted to quiet sobbing.

"Good girl," she said with a smirk.

"Let! Her! Go!" Yomi turned around right as a set of feet collided with the side of her head, sending her flying right into a tree with a resounding 'thud'.

Naruto got back up and looked at Kusano then Ino. He glared and asked, "Ino, are you alright?"

She looked at him nastily, but then cringed and said, "Yeah, I've got a few medical supplies." She quickly changed the subject, "What about Ku!? Is she alright!?"

He smiled and pointed to the frightened blonde being caressed by Uzume.

Ino smiled contently but then became serious and said, "I can't really fight right now, think you can take her Naruto?"

He grinned and said, "Come on, I beat Sasuke."

She scowled and said, "Don't think I've forgiven you for that you moron."

He twitched an eyebrow but ignored her insult and said, "Yeah, I'll take her." He stood up and pulled out a scroll with a big smirk. He opened and said, "You should feel lucky, Yomi."

The scythe user glared and screeched, "Oh yeah! And why's that!?"

His smirk grew and he opened the scroll and then smeared some blood on it, resulting in a large puff of smoke. "Because you're the first person I'm going to use this on in actual combat."

Yomi looked at him confused but then shrunk back when the smoke cleared.

Naruto stood with the Executioner's Blade lodged in the ground, holding on to the handle at the second rung, while two of his chakra arms held the first and third rungs. He smirked again and hoisted the blade up, then gripped it at the fifth rung with his other hand while his two other chakra arms held onto the fourth and sixth ones.

Yomi growled and then smirked. She then taunted, "Look at you; you need those weird chakra arms just to hold that thing up. I'm not only more experienced with my scythe I can swing it faster, plus I've got wind blades. You're no match for me."

Naruto smirked but a bead of sweat rolled down his face as he thought, '_It pisses me off, but she's got a point. Hopefully the strength training I've been doing with my weight seals has paid off._' He steeled himself and surged chakra from his feet, dashing forward with a wide swing that Yomi easily blocked.

She winced, however, when the extra force of the blade caused her to slide. She glared and sent a kick at the ninja that he blocked with his own foot.

He then blasted chakra from that foot and knocked her down. He hoisted the blade in the air and swung down.

Yomi rolled to the side and dodged, but frowned when she saw the knick on her dress.

Naruto glared and thought, '_Dammit, this thing's too heavy! I'm going to have to dispel it_.' He sighed and the blade vanished.

Yomi smirked and taunted, "Aww, is you sword too heavy?" She snickered as he glared at her.

He decided that for now, he'd take her down the old fashioned way. He formed his favorite hand sign and shouted, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Forty clones then burst into existence, causing the scythe wielder to blink several times at the massive number.

Naruto and his clones charged and Yomi sent out wind blades, destroying the clones in mass waves. This had the side effect, however, of filling the area with smoke; this was exactly what Naruto wanted.

The next thing she heard was Naruto shouting, "Rasengan!" Naruto charged out of the smoke with the chakra ball in hand, but Yomi brought up her scythe to block. The two were locked until the Rasengan burst, sending Naruto soaring back and knocking Yomi off-balance.

She grimaced at the blonde and was about to strike when she felt a foot collide with her back, sending her tumbling along the ground.

Everyone looked to see Kujika standing triumphantly with a peace sign.

Naruto pointed at her and said, "Don't be so cocky! I did the most damage!"

Kujika stuck out her tongue and pulled down one eyelid in a mocking gesture.

Naruto just trembled and was about to shout again when Homura hollered, "Look out! Sanada's coming!"

Naruto looked to his right and nearly fainted as a pair of tornadoes barreled towards him. He shrunk back and shouted, "What the hell!?"

One of the tornadoes shouted, "Fang Over Fang!" as it plowed towards him.

Naruto jumped out of the way as the twin twisters hit the ground, kicking up a massive dust cloud and sending rubble flying.

Naruto looked up and saw who was standing there, with Kujika behind them going, "Yay Ki-er Sanada's here!"

Naruto blinked a couple times then shrieked, "That's not Sanada! That's Kiba!"

* * *

**Dun! Dun! Dun! I wonder how many people guessed Sanada was actually Kiba, I actually came up with the idea after one of the Sekirei suggestions was sent my way. Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me what you think.**

**Lastly I've got two questions for everyone. I've got two ideas for Yomi and can't pick. Do you all think Yomi should be terminated or should she survive but become one of the only other 'free' Sekirei like Akitsu? The second is that I need a few OC Sekirei. Don't worry about numbers because I'll assign those myself but I need four of them, two elemental and two non-elemental. I want at least one of the elementals to be female but everything else is up to you guys. I'll pick the four I like best.**


	15. Sanada and Sword Play

Chapter XV

**And finally, here's chapter fifteen. I know it's been a while since I updated, but I was finally able to get this down. So, tell me what you guys think in a review. Speaking of which, let's get on to the reviewer responses.**

**Markus-Antonius: Strange as it is, I originally had it set to be without the money bit, but added it because that simply sounded too goody-goody for Kiba. I honestly didn't expect the kind of negative responses I got to that, but thinking back I probably could have come up with a better alternative so I just decided to fix it this time.**

**Arai kaji: Rias as a Sekirei...GENIUS! Not sure if I'll do that but it would at least make things interesting, only problem now is an Ashikabi.**

** : I won't spoil but I think you'll be satisfied with my plans for him.**

**Glint of Madness: I can't really tell you anything without spoiling but know the tag wasn't used absentmindedly.**

**Well that's it for responses, most of the rest are just the same questions worded differently or the basic reviews that aren't really asking questions. That or just complaints that I really don't care to respond to since I won't be changing the things they're talking about.**

* * *

"That's not Sanada! That's Kiba!" Naruto shrieked as 'Sanada Nishi' and his Sekirei came to aid him and the others in defeating Mikogami's Sekirei.

Kujika sighed and said, "Welp, that cat left the bag quick."

'Sanada' stood up with a growl and said in irritation, "Seriously!? Way to go Naruto!" As the dust cleared, 'Sanada' stood up and glared at the blonde.

Naruto blinked and then asked, "Wait…if you're not Sanada, then who is?"

Kiba scratched his head and said with a sigh, "There never _was_ a Sanada." He then crossed his arms and said with a pout, "It's just a cooler name than 'Kiba'."

Naruto facepalmed and said, "You have got to be kidding me. So you're the Ashikabi of the West? And the best alias you could come up with was Sanada?"

Kiba growled and shouted, "Yeah! So what!?"

Naruto stood up and shouted back, "Sanada just means west! So that's a stupid name!"

"Well it's better than 'maelstrom'!"

"Is not dog breath!"

"ENOUGH!" Homura shouted as he set the two on fire.

After they put themselves out Naruto looked at Kiba and then to Yomi, who was standing shakily. "So, what do you plan on doing Kiba?" he asked.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and asked, "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to have Kujika deactivate her."

"Hey! I'm still here dammit!" Yomi shouted.

Kiba twitched an eyebrow and said, "Yeah, so? You can't beat Kujika."

Kujika made a victory sign and Yomi growled.

The scythe wielder flailed her arms and shrieked, "Wanna bet!?"

Kujika got into a fighting stance but was stopped by Ino.

Ino walked over and said, "No. I want to handle her."

Shiina trembled somewhat at Ino's expression.

Holding onto Kusano's little arm Ino said with anger, "I want to pay her back for hurting Ku."

Yomi growled and brought up her scythe and said with a smirk, "Yeah right, not with that gash on your side."

Ino snarled and said, "Too bad for you I know a lot about plants."

Yomi blinked in confusion and looked at Ino's wound, seeing it covered in a medicinal paste. She grumbled as Ino pulled out a kunai and Shiina stood up.

Turning to Ino he said, "You know, Ashikabi aren't supposed to fight Sekirei."

Ino smiled and said, "I know." Her expression hardened as she turned to Yomi, "But I can't just let her hurt Ku like that."

Kusano watched as Ino prepared to fight and smiled.

Yomi growled and said, "Your funeral." She froze almost instantly however.

Ino was confused and looked around, nearly a dozen Sekirei walked into the forest around Kiba.

Kiba walked up and said with spirit, "You can't beat all of us, can you?"

Yomi trembled and then growled and shouted, "Curse you!" She prepared to run out of the forest but was stopped when Sasuke and Kakashi blocked her path.

Sighing Kakashi said lazily, "Unfortunately we can't let you leave her active."

Yomi began shaking as she realized she would be terminated.

Naruto watched and sighed. He then asked Kurama, '_If they terminate her, think you can remove the mark?_'

"…_**Probably, but we'll need to stay behind,**_**"** he answered.

Yomi dropped to her knees as Hibiki removed her Sekirei Crest. Yomi then slumped over as it vanished.

Kakashi looked up and saw Naruto's expression and nodded.

Naruto gave an imperceptible smile in response.

The copy ninja looked at Kiba and said sternly, "Now that that's done, Kiba, we need to talk."

Kiba stiffened and sweat-dropped, then asked, "Wh-what about?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye and walked over, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him limply out of the forest as the others followed.

The only ones remaining were Ino, Naruto, Shiina, Hibiki, and Kusano.

Ino sighed and said, "Well Ku, you alright?"

Kusano looked at her and nodded, "Yup."

Naruto scratched his head and formed a shadow clone that Kurama possessed.

Ino looked at him curiously as the clone took on Kurama's features.

Kurama knelt down and put two fingers to Yomi's back and leaked of some of his chakra into the spot.

Ino walked up to Naruto and asked, "What're you doing?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at her and said, "Releasing her."

Ino tilted her and asked dumbly, "What?"

"I can't really say anything right now but let's just say she's going to be different," he told her.

She narrowed her eyes and said in surprise, "Wait, you're going to reactivate her?!"

He nodded in response.

Angry she shouted, "You can't be serious! She tried to capture Kusano! Are you really-" She stopped when she felt a hand tug at her skirt. She looked down at Kusano whose eyes were watering. Ino knelt down and asked, "What's wrong Ku?"

"Let her go, please," the little girl pleaded.

Confused the bleached blonde asked, "But why Ku? She tried to hurt you."

Kusano nodded and said, "She was just listening to the mean man."

"Mean man?" Naruto mumbled. '_She must mean Mikogami,_' he reasoned.

Kurama pulsed his chakra and then started to pull. As he did a gelatinous mass of thick, dark purple chakra came out and the Sekirei Crest reappeared, sizzled and disappeared completely.

Ino put a hand over her mouth and asked with horror, "What _is_ that?"

Naruto pulled out a scroll and sucked the chakra into it and said as the clone dispelled, "_That_ is the chakra that composes the Sekirei Crest."

Ino turned blue and said, "That's disgusting."

* * *

Outside the forest Kakashi scratched his head with a sigh as Kiba sat on the ground like he just peed on the rug.

Kakashi said chidingly, "So, why exactly have you been doing this?"

Kiba tilted his head and asked, "Doing what?"

"Selling Sekirei," Kakashi said plainly.

Kiba blinked a few times and said dumbly, "Selling them? I haven't."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and said, "You've been finding and holding onto Sekirei and then charging money when they find their Ashikabi."

Kiba shrugged and asked, "What? No I haven't. If I have a Sekirei who isn't winged and they find their Ashikabi I hand'em over. I only charge for protection if a Sekirei or Ashikabi wants me to keep them from having to fight."

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba twitched an eyebrow and said, "If I find a Sekirei that doesn't have an Ashikabi, I keep them safe with me until they find their Ashikabi. When they do I hand them over. As for charging money, I only charge when someone asks for a service. There are a bunch of Ashikabi and Sekirei out there that don't want to fight. Unfortunately there are others who want to or love to. Sometimes the weaker ones will come to me and pay me ryo so that they stay at my place and have one of my Sekirei with them as protection, or me specifically if they're being hunted by someone specific."

"Wait, so you're _not_ selling Sekirei?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"No! That's sick! I don't sell Sekirei! I charge for protection, that's it," he denied.

"That's rather noble, for a mutt," Sasuke said quietly.

"Shut up jerk!" Kiba shouted, receiving a kick to the back of the head from Sakura.

* * *

Back in the forest, Yomi started to wake up and then sat up with a jolt. She looked around and saw Naruto and the others and blinked in confusion. She then asked, "I…I thought I was…"

"Deactivated?" Naruto asked.

She turned to see him sitting on a rock and nodded dumbly.

He stood up with a stretch and said, "Well…you were. I completely removed your crest though. So now you can never be deactivated again and your powers are full; you don't need the norito anymore."

Yomi narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Why? Why'd you do that?"

Naruto scratched his cheek and said mindlessly, "No reason really. I just think it's wrong for all of the Sekirei to have to effectively die if they lose. Plus it prevents them from being tethered to someone."

Yomi was uncertain of what to say. This person, this Ashikabi, had just given her total freedom for no reason other than he felt like it. She was about to ask him to explain but he was already walking away with the others.

* * *

After walking for a bit, Shiina stopped and said, "Hey, can you guys wait for a second?"

Naruto looked back and nodded.

Shiina placed a hand on one of the trees and said, "Death Garden." Immediately, all of the trees emitted a dark green light and then began to turn brown and decay.

Naruto and Ino could only look around in surprise as the forest fell to pieces around them.

* * *

Outside, everyone watched as the forest literally died in front of them.

"H-how?" Sakura asked in amazement.

"That's likely Shiina," Homura said.

"Shiina? You mean Ino's Sekirei?" Sasuke asked.

The fire-user nodded in response as the forest fell apart and Naruto and the others walked out.

Musubi and Taki immediately ran up and hung off of Naruto, happy to see him even after such a short time.

Tsukiumi paled at seeing them hang off 'her' husband.

Yahan grinned deviously and flung herself on Sasuke, resulting in Ino and Sakura shrieking and Kakashi only sighed.

Naruto turned to see Kiba lying on the ground and asked, "What're you doing down there 'Sanada'?"

"Shut up," Kiba said gruffly.

"He got punched by Sakura for saying something stupid," Taki said flatly.

Naruto turned to the side and mumbled, "That's not very hard."

Sakura grew a tic mark and threatened, "If you're saying anything bad, Naruto, I'll clock you."

Naruto just put up his hands defensively and asked, "So what's going on, and where did all these Sekirei come from? Are they Kiba's?"

Kakashi looked down at the dog-boy, causing him to freeze, and said, "Not exactly. Care to explain?"

Kiba was about to explain but Naruto put up his hand and said, "Homura already told me. He sells Sekirei, right?"

"I'm not selling them dammit!" Kiba said as he stood up.

"That's not what I heard," Naruto said chidingly.

Growling, Kiba stood up and said, "I told I'm not! I don't charge for the Sekirei I protect until their winged, I only charge when a Sekirei or Ashikabi specifically ask me for protection."

"That true?" Naruto asked the multiple Sekirei behind Kiba.

One of the Sekirei, a girl with long red hair nodded, and then looked at Naruto with a devious grin.

Naruto sweat-dropped, but then looked at Homura irritated.

Homura looked down in shame and said, "I suppose the rumors could have been…a little erm, skewed."

Naruto simply twitched an eyebrow and said, "Well, guess you're off the hook then. What're gonna do?"

Standing up, Kiba said, "Go back home."

As Kiba walked away, Naruto said, "Hey Kiba!"

The dog by looked at him over his shoulder.

"I like what you're doing, it helps out with everyone else," Naruto complimented.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and said, "Y-yeah, thanks." He continued to walk away.

Naruto smiled and then turned to Ino and asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Ino turned blue and said, "Well, I'm not sure."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why's that?"

Laughing sheepishly she said, "Weelll, I haven't exactly told my dad, so he has no idea about Shiina and hiding Ku would be pretty difficult."

Sighing, Naruto said, "Well, I guess you could stay at Izumo Inn until you figure it out. Miya tends to be pretty good to Sekirei and Ashikabi, so you should be good for a couple days."

Not thrilled with staying at the same place as Naruto she wanted to argue. Once she realized she had no alternative she sighed and said, "Fine."

* * *

The entire group arrived at Izumo Inn shortly thereafter. As they approached, Naruto saw Miya standing at the front door pretending to sweep and couldn't suppress a smile that crept onto his face.

He walked through the gate and waved as he called, "Hey, Miya! We're home!"

Miya looked up 'surprised' and said, "My, my. It's about time. You all missed dinner."

Ino and Naruto's teammates were in disbelief that her first concern was missing dinner, rather than the fact that they all looked like hell.

Naruto simply played along and rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah, sorry about that, things got a little hectic."

Miya nodded and finally seemed to notice Ino and Kusano and said, "Well, who might they be?"

Naruto nodded in return and pointed first to Ino and said, "This is Ino Yamanaka, she's the one that asked for our help."

Ino bowed curtly.

Naruto then pointed to Kusano and said, "This is Kusano, she's the 'Green Girl' mentioned in the letter and the one that made that forest. We rescued her from a forced winging."

Miya then looked at Kakashi and her smiled warped into an imperceptibly devious one and she said, "And what's this, you seem to have dragged some garbage with you."

Sasuke and Sakura face-faulted and were ready for Kakashi to retaliate. To their surprise, all he did was say, "Nice to see you too Miya."

The group entered the inn and took a break from their grueling task.

Naruto sat down at the dining room table and immediately noticed presences around him. To his left was Akitsu, sitting and staring silently as normal. To his right was Uzume, who was taunting Tsukiumi and the others for being slow, and Taki was behind him making lewd motions.

However a quick glance from Miya calmed them all immediately.

The room sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes before Ino spoke and asked, "So, someone mind telling me what that was all about?"

Kakashi looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

Puffing her cheeks she said, "I mean those Sekirei, why were they after Ku?"

Naruto sighed and looked at Kakashi who nodded.

Kakashi then explained, "I suppose you haven't heard of the cardinal Ashikabi?"

Ino shook her head and answered, "No, I haven't"

"Well, put simply, there are three different Ashikabi that have amassed enough Sekirei and enough influence that they are considered the leaders of the different sections of the village," Kakashi explained.

"Leaders?" she said quizzically.

Nodding the copy ninja said, "Yes. The southern portion of the village, at least in terms of the Sekirei plan, is Hayato Mikogami. The east is commanded by Higa Izumi," that name caused Naruto's fists to clench, "and lastly is Sanada Nishi in the west. Or rather, Kiba Inuzuka."

"What!? Are you saying that Kiba, KIBA, is someone important!?" she screeched in disbelief.

Cleaning out his ear Kakashi said, "Yes, sort of. He is one of the cardinal Ashikabi, which means that within the Sekirei Plan he has influence on the other Ashikabi living in his section of the village."

Ino sat silently for several seconds, resulting in most having a concerned expression.

While Ino was remaining quiet Sasuke decided to voice a question he'd had for a while. "Kakashi sensei, what does all of this mean for the village?"

Kakashi blinked curiously and then asked, "What do you mean Sasuke?"

"What bearing does all of this have on the village? I mean, what effects will it have?" he clarified.

Kakashi closed his eye and thought for several seconds before saying, "I can't really say. Considering most Ashikabi are civilians and not shinobi, I doubt this will have much effect on the military; though I suppose it is possible for some Ashikabi to join the council but I can't imagine them being Ashikabi causing many alterations. So near as I can tell, the actual runnings of the village won't seem to have much change."

During this long speech, Sasuke and Naruto paid full attention, Miya sat idly by, and everyone else had a look similar to a deer looking at an oncoming train.

Naruto piped up next, "If that's the case, not that I'm complaining at all, then why is the old man letting this happen, instead of commandeering Minaka's stuff?"

The Sekirei adopted worried expressions as he proposed this idea and proceeded to stare down the Copy Ninja expectantly.

He of course, was sweating bullets. After swallowing nervously he said, "Well, it's actually pretty simple. MBI isn't actually based within the Leaf Village, so Lord Hokage has no clout with them. What that means is that if Lord Hokage tries to interfere in any way, then Minaka would simply take all of his supplies, including the Sekirei, and move them to a new village. Which would not only give another village that advantage, it would also separate all of the Sekirei and Ashikabi bonds that have been made."

"Which also means if Lord Hokage had tried to limit it to only shinobi becoming Ashikabi-" Sakura began but was interrupted.

"Minaka would have taken the Sekirei away," Ino finished.

Sakura simply glared at her, which Ino gladly returned.

Kakashi nodded and said, "Correct, so while it would have been better to make it shinobi as the only Ashikabi, interfering would have been more detrimental than leaving it."

Sighing, Naruto looked at Miya and decided to change the subject, "Hey Miya."

Looking at him with her usual smile she said, "Hmm?"

"Do you mind if Ino stays her for a couple days? If you still want rent I'll handle it," he asked.

Ino blinked in surprise.

Miya put a finger to her chin in thought and then said, "Of course. And as long as it's not more than a week I'll shelve the rent."

Ino lit up and said happily, "Thank you!"

Miya simply nodded in return.

* * *

Miya showed Ino, Shiina, and Kusano to the second floor room at the end of the hall and motioned to it saying, "You can use this room for the time being."

Ino bowed and said, "Thank you. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to tell my dad before I leave."

Miya simply giggled and said, "It's quite alright. My late husband always held to his ideal of never turning away someone in trouble."

* * *

After getting Ino set into her room, Miya went downstairs and noticed someone out on the deck. She walked over and saw Naruto sitting down looking out at the recently risen stars.

"Naruto?" she said calmly.

Naruto jumped in surprise lightly and turned to her. He smiled and said, "Hey Miya."

"What are you looking at?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

He returned to star-gazing and said, "Nothing much, a friend of mine from the academy introduced to the mind-clearing powers of sky-watching. So, whenever I'm doing some heavy thinking I like to sit out and watch the sky, regardless of the time or weather."

Miya giggle again and said, "My, that sure is a rather interesting hobby."

Naruto just smiled lamely and said, "Yeah, but the guy who taught me this is pretty…interesting too."

Bringing a sleeved hand to her mouth with a chuckle she said, "I see. So, mind sharing what's on your mind?"

Thinking for a moment, he answered, "Sure. While we were in the forest Ku made, I ran to a weapon using Sekirei, Yomi. Since she used weapons I thought, rather foolishly thinking back, that I could beat her with a weapon of my own and pulled out the Executioner's Blade. That presented two problems. The first was I'm simply not strong enough to hold," he said sadly, looking at his hands in disappointment. "The second, was I was simply swinging it around blindly, and she beat me in both respects."

Miya simply sat quietly as he spoke.

"I was just thinking about that. I mean, even Kiba was better than me in that battle. I just…I hate that feeling. That feeling of uselessness. That feeling is possibly one of the worst feelings," after a short pause he looked at Miya and was about to speak when he noticed something she was holding. After a couple blinks he pointed at it, a long wooden sword, and asked, "Hey, Miya…"

"Yes?" she asked simply, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Do you, know how to use that?" he asked, feeling a bit stupid for asking.

Looking at her sword she gave him a close-eyed smile and nodded. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Naruto looked at her seriously for a moment and then asked, "Miya, can I ask you a favor?"

"Hmm?" she said playfully.

"Will you please teach me kenjutsu?" he asked.

She looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes. For a moment she could have sworn she saw Takehito on _that_ day so long ago. After taking an imperceptible breath she said, "Yes, of course. I'd be happy to teach you."

Naruto's face filled with joy and he pumped up a fist and said, "Yes! Thank you-ugh!"

He was interrupted when she hit him on the head with a ladle. She then said, "Naruto, I must ask you to be quiet. There are others trying to sleep."

His eyes spun as he said drearily, "Yeah~sure Miya~"

After a moment she said, "But before we begin, you'll need a sword."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wouldn't I just use one of yours?"

Miya smiled sweetly and said happily, "Do you really think I'd let a novice use one of _my_ swords?"

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Y-yeah~good point. Any ideas then?"

Miya thought for a moment and said, "There's a shop here in the northern part of the village that sells shinobi equipment, isn't owned by _that_ man, and would likely be sympathetic to your unique situation."

Naruto blinked in surprise and asked, "Are you sure they'd sell to me without mark ups?"

Miya nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sure. Here, I'll give you directions to it."

Naruto nodded and said, "Thanks."

* * *

The next morning Naruto woke up early and got ready quickly.

His Sekirei noticed him getting ready and Toyotama asked, "Hey, where're you going?"

Turning to her he said, "I'm actually going to a weapons shop to get a katana."

Raising an eyebrow she looked at her spear and said, "Mind if I join you? This old thing may have been made by MBI but it's pretty busted."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Be my guest."

* * *

Naruto and Toyotama walked around the village for a while, Naruto holding a piece of paper and trying to ward off the perverted looks of other men.

Eventually they arrived at a small shop with images of several basic shinobi weapons atop a banner.

Looking at the name he sighed and said, "Well finally found it. The Higurashi Weapons Shop."

The two walked in and directly in front of them was a desk with a register and a girl around Naruto's age sitting at it. She had brown hair tied into buns and steel-grey eyes. She wore a white long-sleeve blouse with a high collar and red hakama style pants. She was reading a magazine when she noticed Naruto and Toyotama enter.

She looked up and said, "Welcome to Higurashi Weapons-huh? You look new."

Naruto nodded with a worried smile and said, "We are. I'm here for a katana and she wants a spear."

She nodded and looked at him with a devious smile and thought, '_He's kinda cute_.' She then looked at Toyotama then paled. '_Holy crap! Those things are massive!_' she thought in surprise while examining Toyotama's impressive chest. Gaining an irritated look, she returned her glance to Naruto and called out, "Hey dad! We've got customers! I'm gonna need your help!"

After several seconds, a large man with short brown hair and similarly steel eyes walked in.

Naruto actually gulped at the extremely large man whose arms couldn't even straighten. He looked at his own arm and could've sworn he saw it droop. He simply sighed.

Toyotama couldn't suppress a small smirk at her Ashikabi's act.

"Alright! Hey dad, think you can help her find a spear while I help…um…what's your name again?" Tenten asked.

Naruto gained a nervous look, then glanced at the large man and back to Tenten and said, "My name…is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Tenten tapped her chin and then shrugged and said, "I've heard your name before but I can't place it. Whatever, let's go!" She quickly and energetically grabbed his arm and began to pull him along.

One of Toyotama's hairs twitched.

Tenten's father walked up and asked, "So, shall I help you find a spear?"

She looked past him at Naruto and Tenten with a worried expression but shelved it and nodded.

* * *

Tenten took him away and then sighed and asked, "So, what are you looking for?"

Naruto took a moment to collect himself and then answered, "Ah, I'm looking for a katana."

She nodded and pointed to a collection of blades and said, "These are our best products, take a look and pick what you want. The prices are on the tags hanging off the ends."

Naruto nodded with a smile and walked over to the group of swords.

After several seconds Tenten spoke up and asked, "You're just learning, aren't you?"

Naruto tensed and then nodded with a pathetic chuckle. Rubbing the back of his head he said, "Yeah. I'm just seeing what looks good."

She chuckled and said, "Well, how about I show you what _is_ good? Also, you may want a practice sword, ya know; so you don't cut an arm off."

Naruto's face turned blue at the thought and he simply nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenten's father led Toyotama to the spears and said, "Just pick what you want and I'll give you a hand."

She nodded with a concerned expression and began searching.

After she searched for several seconds he asked, "Are you worried?"

Toyotama tensed and then turned and asked with fake confusion, "About what?"

He gave a knowing smile and said, "About my daughter and that boy?"

Her eyes narrowed sadly and she said, "Not really."

"Good, because you shouldn't be," he said plainly.

She looked back at him, wordlessly asking for an explanation.

He gave a hearty chuckle and said, "I can't say I know everything about that boy, but I know quite a bit. I know enough that he wouldn't do anything to my Tenten, though I can't say the same about her."

Toyotama's expression changed from confusion to worry.

Noticing this he added, "But, I also know he would refuse anything she tries to pull. Plus she knows how I feel about _that_." He finished by squeezing on a piece of wood, resulting in it cracking.

Toyotama sweat-dropped as she continued browsing, but did so with a slight happier expression.

Eventually she picked a spear. It was a long blue-green spear with a curved blade that appeared to be emerging from the mouth of a dragon. She grabbed it and picked it up, pleased with its weight. She turned to him and said, "I'll take this one."

He smiled and said, "Great. That's actually based off of a famous weapon from the clan era."

Toyotama examined it and asked, "Does it have a name?"

He shook his head and said, "Not really. But I'm sure you can fix that."

She nodded and the moved to the front of the store.

* * *

With Naruto and Tenten, they had picked a practice blade that was a simple wooden blade. His actual sword was a steel blade with a black handle wrapped in grey cloth with a gold cap and gold wrist guard that was a circle with four divots around the edge.

Tenten looked and said, "So, that the one you want?"

Naruto unsheathed the blade and examined it, he looked at his own reflection in the blade and nodded. He then resheathed it.

Tenten nodded in return and decided to ask a question that had been bothering her. "Hey, you said your name was Naruto Uzumaki, right?" she asked with a hand on her side.

He nodded wearily.

Putting a hand on her chin she asked, "I've heard it somewhere before, but where?"

Naruto frowned as she continued thinking.

"Tenten! What did I tell you about prying?" Tenten's father came in and interrupted.

Tenten frowned and Toyotama looked at him in disbelief.

The entire group returned to the front and Naruto paid for the weapons.

Naruto and Toyotama gave their thanks and began to leave, but were stopped by Tenten.

"Hey Naruto," she said as she ran up to them.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, while Toyotama frowned. He then asked, "What's up?"

"I'm actually part of a shinobi squad, we usually train at training ground nine. If you want, I can give you some pointers, plus I've got another teammate who could help you with taijutsu."

Thinking for a moment he nodded and said, "Thanks. I'll think about it."

The two left and Tenten gave a satisfied smirk.

* * *

Later that day, Naruto met Miya on the deck and said, "Well, I've got a sword. Want to start?"

She turned to him and saw his excited smile. She simply gave her own smile and nodded. As she stood she said, "Alright. But first, let's start with just practice blades."

He nodded and went to get his.

Moments later he and Miya were in the backyard both holding their blades.

Naruto looked and raised an eyebrow and asked, "Miya, isn't that sword real?"

She looked the blade in her and nodded. She then added, "It is. However, when sheathed it works as a practice blade."

Naruto nodded and asked, "Can I see it for a moment?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. She walked over and handed him her sword.

He held it in one hand and his practice blade in his other. He balanced them for several seconds as Miya watched in curiosity.

After nearly a minute he seemed satisfied and handed her sword back to her. She raised both eyebrows as he pulled out a scroll. She looked at him and asked, "What are you going to do with that?"

He looked back at her and smirked, "Just watch." He opened the scroll and pulsed some chakra into one of the seals. In a puff of smoke was an ink well and a brush. He opened the ink well and dipped the brush in it. He then began drawing on the sword, making intricate seals along it. Placing it on the ground he put his hands above them, and then pulsed some chakra into them. The seals emitted a light glow and then disappeared.

Miya tilted her head delicately and asked, "What did you just do?"

He picked up the sword and said, "I just used some weight seals to make it the same weight as the real thing. That way I get just a little more advantage."

Miya was quite surprised by his ingenuity and nodded then said, "So, ready to begin?"

He nodded and said, "So, how do we begin?"

Holding her sword she said, "Well, the first thing you need is the proper stance." She held her sword with both hands and assumed the proper stance.

Naruto looked at her and tried to replicate it, with limited success.

Miya shook her head and said, "Bring your hands a little closer together and bend your right knee a bit more."

Naruto nodded and did as he was told.

"Now you need to bend your elbows more and move your torso a little more to the side."

Naruto nodded and did what she told him to.

Miya sighed and said, "Why don't I help you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as she walked over and stepped behind him.

Stepping behind Naruto, Miya pushed one of his feet into position with one of hers, pulled the other and then placed her hands over his, maneuvering his arms into the proper place.

Of course Naruto barely noticed any of this as mind tried to process what happened. When he did, his face turned bright red.

As Miya returned to her previous spot, she noticed Naruto's expression and said in a teasing voice, "My, my, you're not feeling hot and bothered by an old widow are you?"

Naruto's face simply reddened further as she teased him. He attempted to defend himself but simply ended up imitating a stuttering fish. After a moment he simply relented a sigh and said, "Why me?"

Miya could only giggle playfully.

After he calmed down he resumed the kenjutsu pose and Miya nodded and said, "Good, you seem to have good muscle memory."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well, if you give me a minute, we can really get things going."

Miya quirked an eyebrow and waited.

Naruto formed a hand sign and said, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty clones of Naruto appeared assumed kenjutsu poses.

Miya smiled in surprise and said playfully, "Oh my, this is the largest class I've had in a long time."

The original Naruto smiled and said, "Shall we get started?"

Miya nodded and began with simple movements; basic swings, simple slashes, and a series of basic kenjutsu movements.

* * *

Naruto and Miya's training lasted for about three hours before Miya decided to end it in order to make lunch.

Naruto nodded and said, "I think I understand the basics of it. In that case, I'm going off to my usual training spot."

"Oh, and where might that be?" Miya asked.

Naruto smirked and said, "That's a secret."

Miya pouted playfully and said, "Well, at least inform your Sekirei first."

He nodded and proceeded inside the inn.

* * *

"Training?" Musubi asked. "Where? Never mind, as long as it's with you it doesn't matter."

Naruto smirked and asked, "So, anyone else want to come?"

"Certainly. If thou art going with Musubi than I shalt accompany thee to be certain nothing uncouth occurs," Tsukiumi added. She stood haughtily with her arms folded.

Toyotama nodded and said as she stroked her spear, "It should give me a chance to practice with this new blade."

Akitsu simply nodded and said, "I'll follow wherever you lead."

Taki simply smiled and said with a finger on her lips, "I hope it's a nice secluded forest, that way we can finish what we started."

Uzume chuckled and said, "Sure, wherever you go something interesting happens."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well in that case, let's get going."

They proceeded out of the room but ran into Homura and Yahan.

Yahan looked at them and asked, "So, where are you guys off to?"

Musubi pumped a fist and said happily, "We're going to go train!"

Smirking, Yahan said, "Are you now? Mind if we tag along, it's so boring here. Plus, it'd give me a good excuse to drag Sasuke along."

Naruto simply sweat-dropped and said, "~Yeah~ go ahead."

* * *

Shortly after leaving Izumo Inn, the group ran into Sasuke, who seemed to just be wandering aimlessly. Naruto waved and said, "Yo, Sasuke!"

The ravenette raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, Naruto. Want something?"

Naruto prepared to answer but was superceded by Yahan, who instantly wrapped herself around one of Sasuke's arms. "We're going to go train, why don't you come along?" she said with a slight pout in her voice.

Sasuke's face was already turning red as she had his arm pressed firmly between her breasts. He tried to answer but found himself overcome as she spoke again.

Whispering into his ear she said, "And we could be, all-a-lone."

Sasuke immediately cupped a hand over his face and said, "Look, I'm pretty busy, so I can't."

Naruto tilted his head and said, "Really? I thought you might want to come along since this is the place where sensei taught me the Rasengan."

Sasuke was about two meters down the road and said, "Come on, what're you guys doing all the way back there?"

Naruto blinked a couple times and just sighed.

Yahan took a moment and realized that he was no longer in her grasp. After fruitlessly trying to discern how he escaped she simply jogged to catch up as the group moved ahead.

Musubi then added, "Hey, if we're bringing everyone else, why don't we go and get Sakura too?"

Naruto thought for a moment and said, "You know what, that's a pretty good idea. Wanna make a quick stop there?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and the party changed their direction.

* * *

On their way to Sakura's house, everyone else in the group quickly took notice of something strange.

Nearly everyone in the village was deftly avoiding Naruto. Most were simply ignoring him. Some however, seemed to make a point of sending him nasty looks or intense glares.

Sasuke had always known Naruto wasn't popular due to his pranks, but that level of hatred seemed…unwarranted. What made it even stranger was that Naruto seemed completely oblivious to all of that. He had a smile on his face and was speaking merrily to some of his Sekirei, mostly Musubi and Taki; since one was also oblivious to the looks and the other didn't care.

Tsukiumi was not one of them however. She was keenly aware of the nasty stares people were sending her husband. Unable to stomach the looks anymore, she decided to interrogate him. "Naruto," she said sternly.

Naruto turned to look back at her and responded with a simple, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Why art these people sending thee such foul gazes?" she asked, her face betraying her calm voice.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said with a chuckle, "Didn't you know? I was called the Prankster King from Hell when I was little. Up until I was about fourteen I was always playing insane pranks. One of my favorites was to paint the Hokage faces."

This revelation enticed both Uzume and Musubi immediately. The two began to pester him, so he regaled the stories of some of his most famous, and most infamous, pranks. Ranging from painting the Hokage faces to placing genjutsu seals on the chunin bathrooms to make them think the stalls were filled with beer. That one got him in big trouble.

Tsukiumi wasn't satisfied. It was only for a moment, but she felt it through the bond. Merely mentioning the stares and the people around brought up something she hadn't experienced during her short time with him. She could feel pain through the bond. She frowned as it seemed he was preoccupied with his tales and that she would seemingly not get an answer.

* * *

Eventually they arrived at Sakura's house. Naruto looked up and didn't see her.

Sasuke immediately became worried. He saw _it_. That smirk. That smirk Naruto always gets when he's about to do something incredibly stupid.

Cupping a hand by his mouth, Naruto proceeded to shout, "HEY, SAKURA!"

There was short silence, followed by slight trembling as something stomped around. The glass door then flew open hard enough that a small crack formed and out popped Sakura who proceeded to screech, "NARUUUTOOO! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

Naruto smirked and said just loud enough that she could hear, "Sasuke, me, and everyone else are going to do some training. Want to come along?"

Sakura took a moment to comprehend what he said. Then she asked, "With you?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yup. It's some place special that only a few people are brave enough to go."

She frowned and then saw Sasuke's calm expression and then looked to Homura, who had a reassuring smile. She had to blink a couple times and rub her eyes, but he was definitely smiling. She sighed and said, "Just give me a minute to gather my gear!"

* * *

Inside, Sakura's parents noticed her gathering up her ninja gear. Her mother asked, "Sakura, what are you up to?"

Sakura stopped for a moment and said, "Oh, just doing some training."

Her mother assumed a playfully bashful look and said, "Ooohhh, with who? Is it Sasuke?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, he's coming too."

Her mother blinked and said, "Too? Who else is coming?"

Sakura finished packing up and said, "Oh, just Naruto and a few friends.

"Naruto!?" her parents shouted.

Sakura actually shrunk back a little. She became worried and asked, "Is that…a problem?"

"A problem!?" her mother screeched. "I only allowed that _thing_ to be on your team so you could be close to Uchiha. I will _not_ permit you to be around him unless it's necessary!"

Sakura was shocked. She had realized from Homura that her mother disliked Naruto, but she didn't realize it was that strong. Hoping to placate her fuming mother, she said, "Well, he's actually not that bad. He's a little noisy and still plays pranks, but he's actually really strong and even helped me and Sasuke complete tree climbing." She spoke with a smile, assured that her mother would accept it.

Unfortunately she was wrong. Her mother paled. "You must be joking! You mean Kakashi is allowing that _thing_ to train you!? Is he insane!? That's it! I will be filing for a team reassignment immediately!"

Sakura reached out and said, "Now hold on a second! Don't you think that's a little much?"

"No! I don't think it's enough!" her mother argued.

Sakura was in complete shock by this point. Her shock turned to anger as she said, "Alright, what the heck is so wrong with him!? I know I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him in school, but that was only because _you_ told me to avoid him! But after paying attention to him a bit. He's still nowhere near as cool as Sasuke but he's definitely not some kind of monster!"

Her mother turned white as a ghost. She was about to scold her daughter but she had already left through the front door before she could say anything.

* * *

Outside, she noticed the entire group was looking at her expectantly. She sighed and asked, "I'm guessing you hear all that?"

Naruto simply nodded.

Sakura groaned and said, "Great, can we just go?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Yeah, I know a quick way to get there."

Groaning she said, "Great, I don't think I'll ever come back."

Naruto and the others could only laugh as she slumped her shoulders while they walked.

* * *

Eventually they stopped. Sasuke, Sakura and the others looked ahead, and then up.

Sasuke began to sweat and Sakura swallowed nervously. She then pointed ahead and asked, "Uhm, Naruto, are sure this is the place?"

"Yup," he replied plainly.

"Doesn't it seem a little, dangerous?" she asked waveringly.

"Sure is," he answered.

"Then, why are we here?" she asked.

"Because, this place is quite possibly the best training ground in the entire village," he answered proudly. He then turned around and said loudly, "Welcome to training ground forty-four! Also known…as the Forest of Death!"

Sasuke swallowed and asked, "Hey loser, what makes this place so dangerous?"

Sakura sweat-dropped and said, "Uh, Sasuke, the academy had an entire class about the sixty different training grounds. They spent the longest on this one."

"Oh, they did?" he asked simply.

Sakura nearly face-faulted and thought, '_Oh come on Sasuke. You're starting lose cool points._'

Naruto smiled widely and said, "Well, the classes never taught about the _real_ danger of this forest."

Sakura blinked and asked, "Is it the giant insects?"

Taki shivered.

"Nope," Naruto said flatly.

"Is it, the huge carnivorous animals?" Sakura asked, not thinking of anything worse than that.

Musubi started bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Nuh-uh."

Sakura tilted her head and asked, "Then what is it?"

Naruto chuckled darkly and said, "Worse than anything else, this forest is home to an insane woman who enjoys killing people, has an insatiable bloodlust, and even has snakes that come out of her body."

His teammates and Sekirei turned blue, but they all screamed at what happened next.

A dark chuckle was heard and a voice from one of the gates said, "Well, well, you flatter me kid."

Naruto turned around and out walked a woman with purple hair tied into a pineapple-like ponytail, light brown eyes, and an outfit consisting of mesh under armor, a short orange skirt, shinobi sandals with shin guards, a belt and sash that hold up her skirt and lastly a snake fang on a cord that hangs around her neck.

Sakura pointed shakily and asked, "I-i-is that, h-h-her?"

Naruto waved and said, "Yo, Anko. Long time no see!"

Anko waved back and said, "Same to you kid. So tell me, where's my favorite brat been all this time?" She walked up to him and rested her elbow on his head, which had an unintended, or rather quite intended, effect.

Naruto, though, managed to mostly keep his composure intact, aside from a light line of red that ran across his face.

His Sekirei, however, were all rather incensed that she seemed to be so close to their Ashikabi.

Naruto coughed into his fist and said, "Ahem, uhm, Anko."

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked playfully, shifting her weight.

He pointed towards and said, "Your uh, you're a little too close."

Chuckling she stood up straight and said, "Well, it seems your little friends have given you a little more resistance. Guess that just means I'm gonna have to try even harder to knock you off your game."

Naruto simply grumbled as he plopped down into a sitting position.

Examining the edge of the massive and dark forest, the group could only stare in amazement at its size.

Tsukiumi spoke first and asked, "Well, wouldst thou mind explaining how tis that we shalt commence training within these woods?"

Anko chuckled and said, "Geez, what's up with the lingo lady?"

Tsukiumi clenched her fists and said, "Watch thy tongue swindler. I shalt not be talked down to by someone of thy stature."

Anko smirked and said, "Someone of my stature? Just so you know, lady, I'm a jonin. And last time I checked, you aren't even an official ninja."

Tsukiumi growled and said, "Foul ruffian! I shalt display my skill to thee if thy wisheth!" Water began to swirl around her and Anko pulled out a kunai.

Just as they were about to fight Naruto stood up and shouted, "Okay, I think that's enough!"

Anko, a smirk still plastered on her face stowed her kunai and said, "If you insist, brat."

Tsukiumi responded, "As thy wish," and the swirling water immediately dropped to the ground.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, there are a few clearings where we can do some training. But the biggest part of using this place for training is just trying to get there."

Anko smiled widely and said, "Well, I know a good place. Why don't you take to that spot about a few hundred feet away from the tower?"

Naruto said in a deadpan, "Don't you think that's a little far in?"

Anko chuckled and said, "Well, if they're your friends, shouldn't they be fine?"

Naruto sighed as he stood and said, "Well, I guess you got a point. Right, if you guys follow me I'll lead you there on the safest path."

They all nodded as he opened one of the gates.

Before he began jumping he said seriously, "One more thing. I highly suggest you stay near, just because I make it sound so good doesn't mean it's safe. If you wander off on your own it's quite possible you'll find something dangerous."

Everyone gave one last nod as he began leaping through the trees and they followed.

Anko watched them leave and thought, '_Well, it seems your student has developed into a good leader. Let's just hope he can keep him on the right path._'

* * *

**Well, that's it for chapter fifteen. Tell me what you think about it, also I'm still accepting suggestions for Sekirei. I've got one male elemental, one female elemental that's up in the air, no pun intended, and a few possibilities for non-elementals so I'll still pick at least three characters. **

**I also need one more thing. Somebody made a good point in a previous review that if the Leaf is the only village with Ashikabi, then the other villages could call it cheating. So I've been racking my brain trying to come up with characters, not OCs, to be Ashikabi from other villages. I've got a few ideas but I'm mostly coming up empty. So that means I'm still accepting ideas for Sekirei and even preexisting characters to be their Ashikabis if you are so inclined.**


	16. Training and Displacement

Chapter XVI

**And here's sixteen, hope the wait wasn't too bad. This is also my longest chapter yet, nearly ten thousand words. I may try and shoot for this now from now on, though I doubt I'll ever reach Pokemaster19's (Now The Engulfing Silence) prolific sixteen thousand a chapter cuz' that's just insane. Anyway, the suggestions for four Sekirei are closed, I've now got a wide pool from which to pick the four Sekirei I need that will appear periodically throughout the story, and a couple may actually be insert characters from other series, so we'll see. **

**Finally with that out of the way let's move on to reviewer responses. About that actually, I want to know if you guys like it this way or if you think PMs to the reviewers in question would be better. It doesn't really matter to me but I'm curious what you guys think.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: 'Bout time someone noticed.**

**ncpfan: I haven't exactly decided what'll happen in that regard but it'll hopefully be pleasing to everyone regardless.**

**Apedreitor: If I do have other villages have Sekirei that'll be how they got them but I actually want Sekirei _in_ the exams coming from other villages. I've gotten a few suggestions already but am always willing to see any other Sekirei-Ashikabi combos people have in mind involving existing Sekirei and characters from the other villages. He'll attain that ranking soon but, within my story at least, a cardinal Ashikabi is given such a title based on what they've accomplished within the game, not how many Sekirei they have, well not entirely. For example, Izumi has multiple Ashikabi he has under his command, Kiba has his little thing, not sure what to call it, and Hayato is famous as a collector of Sekirei and having Sekirei powerful enough to do it.**

**Jose19: That my friend is explained in this chapter, though the explanation is pretty similar to most fics out there where Naruto has a close relationship to Anko. I will address that particular bail of weeds soon. It will, I just can't decide on pairings outside of the Leaf shinobi but I have gotten some suggestions but am always accepting more.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: Why doesn't seeker go seek elsewhere since answers like that aren't coming out of my mouth, not here at least.**

**sabery: I'd say I portrayed their relationship well enough, though not too extensively since it isn't a base point for the story; don't worry they will have more interactions as time goes on since I do intend to have some more sections that have less action, there are just certain plot points and character points that need to be established now before I can really get into relationship building.**

**Duanemaster: Probably, I'm just not a fan of yuri and not for any particular reason I just don't care for it.**

**gamelover41592: I've already decided her Ashikabi but I'll tell you it isn't Naruto, I actually have other plans to deal with that reason however.**

**I think that does it for reviewer responses. Again I ask for what you guys think is the best way to respond to reviewers, or more preferred, this method or PMs. I also want to extend the voter's block to everyone asking for suggestions for Sekirei-Ashikabi pairings involving existing Sekirei, not OCs, and characters from the other villages. The only stipulation is that all of the Ashikabi will be competing in the chunin exams so they need to be in that age group and I am also willing to accept yuri pairings if only because the number of male Sekirei is so dismal.**

**With that done let's get to why you guys are actually here.**

* * *

In a technologically advanced city in the Elemental Nations a large tower with a clock stood amongst the other structures, towering over them. On a ledge near the top a man with wild white hair, a long white cape over a white suit and square glasses on his face stood with an insane grin. This man was Minaka Hiroto.

He looked out upon the city and beyond it to the rest of the continent. Suddenly he began to laugh madly and then started to shout maniacally, "Things are getting interesting! It seems the birds are starting to find their destinies! Now, I wonder what little bird will help bring about the age of the gods!"

Behind him a figure simply sighed tiredly.

Minaka then waved a hand and a series of screens rose from the floor and assorted themselves in front of him. The screens flickered to life and showed images of the current activities of different Sekirei and Ashikabi. He scanned across the screens, looking at the different views with an amused smirk.

His eyes then landed on one specific screen, the screen that was tracking one of the newer Ashikabi, a young blonde who had, in a short period of time, accrued six Sekirei.

Minaka simply watched the screen as he viewed the teen on his daily adventures. Minaka could only smirk as he watched the young shinobi. His smirk turned into a grin and he said, "So, shall this young man awaken the age of the gods?"

A hooded figure walked up behind Minaka and tapped his shoulder.

Minaka turned and said, "Ahhhh, I was wondering when you'd show up."

The figure looked at Minaka and then the screens. It then pointed to them in seeming curiosity.

Minaka nodded and motioned to the screens behind him.

The figure scanned over the different screens momentarily. Its body then stiffened, before loosening, a flash of red on its face.

Minaka simply chuckled and said, "Adding new players always adds intrigue to the game don't you think? I know of what you plan on doing, and so long as it doesn't interfere with my fun go right ahead, because sometimes a game is improved by flipping the table."

The figure simply sighed and turned around. It then turned back to Minaka and spoke, but its words were inaudible.

Minaka responded while scratching his ass, "Yes. It seems he's become interested in one of the new ones. I don't know what he has planned but something tells me it will ruin my game. Think you could do something to stop it?"

The figure just nodded and walked away.

Minaka simply returned to watching his screens in interest.

* * *

Naruto and the group were hopping through the forest as he led them to his special training area.

Along the way everyone beside Naruto and Musubi were constantly being assaulted by branches.

At one point Uzume sped up next to Naruto and asked, "Hey bro, how do you know that creepy snake lady anyway?"

Naruto chuckled and said pathetically, "It's a long story."

Akitsu huffed and said, "Ah…I want to know too."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, I was about seven when I first met her. Sensei and I had started training in training ground forty-three. Anko had actually been observing us for a while and then one day walked out of the forest and introduced herself, vocally." Naruto snickered as he remembered that event.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, much to Naruto's surprise.

Naruto responded, "Well, she threw a smoke bomb for starters. Sensei immediately got ready to fight, and then she walked out of the smoke and sensei nearly had a heart attack. I could tell by the look on his face he wanted to throttle her, but he seemed to decide it was less of a headache not to."

"Geez, sounds like you," Sakura added tauntingly.

Naruto just glared lamely and continued, "Anyway, she started off just helping me train; but then one day she started lecturing me on academy topics. Naturally I thought she was crazy. But when I ended up answering incorrectly she threw a kunai at me. I was able to dodge it, barely. After that she escalated to chasing me into and around this forest…while lecturing me."

Everyone nearly face-faulted. What kind of psycho would chase a little boy around a forest filled with giant monsters while lecturing him. Naruto's Sekirei were fairly certain by that point she was crazy.

Of course what Naruto told them next didn't help. "Most of what she did was just chasing me, occasionally throwing kunai and senbon, or showing up to attack me personally when I stopped. Most of this was little more than toying, the only way she would've actually hit me was if I stood still. It was when I got her questions wrong that things got bad."

'_Geez, how much worse could it get?_' Uzume asked herself.

Naruto turned a little blue as he spoke. "If I messed up the question or just plain got it wrong she would speed up her chase and catch me immediately…and then thrash me. Eventually I learned to simply get it right. That, combined with sensei's lessons is how I got like this," he said with a confident smirk.

Sakura twitched an eyebrow and thought, '_You mean completely crazy?_'

Eventually Naruto stopped as did the others, though Musubi stumbled a bit. Only to be caught by Naruto who grabbed her collar with one of his chakra arms. He just smirked and pulled her back up.

He pointed to a clearing and said proudly, "Alright! Here we are gang!"

Everyone looked at the clearing and gasped.

It was a clearing slightly larger than training ground seven. But it wasn't the size that caught everyone's eyes.

It was like something most people only see in books. It seemed that the Forest of Death being so untrodden had the advantage of a section of it becoming grand.

"It looks like something out of a novel," Sakura said with wonder.

Naruto smirked and said, "Yup. I use this place for training and only sensei, Anko, and a few other people know about it."

Everyone nodded and Sasuke decided to voice the question that had been biting at everyone's necks, "What kind of training are we going to do here anyway?"

Everyone else nodded in agreement to the question.

Naruto grinned and said, "Special Uzumaki-style training! Since Kakashi sensei is so obsessed with his teamwork exercises we haven't done much training elsewhere. So, I figure it's good to do a little training here."

Sasuke thought for a moment and then said with a nod, "Makes sense. But why here specifically?"

Naruto conceded the question and said, "The danger posed here adds to the training's benefit. This specific spot is not frequented by the more dangerous animals though so it's safe to train here. Plus we can practice more destructive stuff here without damaging the village."

Sakura then asked, "Well…what exactly can _you_ train us for? I mean you were good at the tree climbing but what else?"

Naruto waved her question off and said, "No, no. I'm not here to teach you guys, though the fact that that's the first thing you thought does make me feel a little warm and fuzzy."

Sakura gained a tic mark and threw a rock at him, though it seemed not to faze him in the least.

Naruto ignored his growing welt and said, "I just figured you guys deserve to know about this place since you're my teammates. Though I've recently discovered a pretty effective training method that you guys might be interested in."

Sasuke nodded and said, "Sounds good, I guess. But before that, there's something I want you to tell me."

Naruto nodded and waited for the question.

"You're rather extreme training style would be effective at increasing a person's skill, but that doesn't explain how you're that powerful," Sasuke said, visibly having to force the words out.

Naruto just chuckled and said, "Simple. I use shadow clones."

"Shadow clones? How does that help?" Sakura asked.

Naruto began to explain, "It's actually pretty cool. The shadow clones are different from normal clones. They aren't coalesced illusions made of chakra. Instead, their actual physical copies made of the divided form of a person's chakra. They even have their own chakra network."

Everyone was quite surprised at that revelation.

"What, you kiddies didn't know?" Anko asked as she entered the area; sufficiently surprising everyone but Naruto.

After they calmed Sakura was the first to respond and shook her head. She then said, "No, I just thought they were more durable than regular clones."

"Not exactly. They are a bit stronger but a pretty weak punch'll send 'em packing," Anko said as Naruto formed a clone and Anko took a swing, dispelling it immediately.

Naruto nodded and added, "Yeah."

Sakura nodded but still seemed confused. "That makes sense but it still doesn't explain how it works for training," she said.

Naruto nodded and said as he decided to sit, the others following suit, "The shadow clones also have one more surprise. Anything memories and experiences they have are transmitted to the original. For example," Naruto began, pointing a finger in the air. "If someone makes a shadow clone and then has it read the first chapter of a book, when the clone dispels the original gains the knowledge of what the clone read. It's also pretty neat because the memories of the clones are a bit more intact than our own memories."

Sakura responded with a simple gasping 'whoa' and then asked, "Wait, if it's so useful then why isn't it taught in the academy?"

Naruto responded, "Simple, it's a forbidden jutsu."

"Okay, but why?" she persisted.

"Because, instead of taking a small chunk of your chakra and forming an apparition, it divides your chakra and makes solid copies. That means that unless you have high enough reserves, which most genin and even chunin don't, then simply making a single clone could cause chakra exhaustion. Plus the memory feedback takes a little while to get used to," Anko said.

Naruto laughed embarrassedly and said, "Yeah. I remember one of the first times I made a large number of clones and dispelled them all at once. It gave me such a nasty headache I passed out."

"Sounds nasty. But then why are you able to use it so well?" Taki asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

Naruto smirked and said, "Because I've got superhuman chakra reserves. I'm an Uzumaki, and every one of us has chakra reserves higher than most. Most Uzumaki chunin have the chakra reserves of a kage."

"You talk about the Uzumaki like they're a clan," Sasuke said in confusion.

"They are, or they were rather," Naruto said somberly.

"What do you mean 'were'? Did something happen?" Musubi asked.

Naruto nodded and said, "I don't know the specifics but about thirty years ago a large group made up of different shinobi from different villages banded together and attacked the Uzumaki clan. They were entirely wiped out, well not completely as you can see."

"Truly? So thou art a member of a clan? Tis it a clan of import?" Tsukiumi asked, trying to gauge how important her 'husband' was.

Naruto put a hand to his chin and then said, "Yes and no. Since the clan was officially wiped out during that attack they've vanished from the public eye. They don't even teach about them at the academy obviously. But they were important. They were some of the elemental nations' greatest seal masters. I can't think of a single clan or group anywhere else in the history of the elemental nations with the same skill at sealing jutsus as the Uzumaki. Then again my searches may have been biased." He finished with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Far as I know you're right," Homura said.

"Really? Were they really that powerful?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke was conflicted. Normally he'd be seething to find out that only did Naruto have circumstances and attributes that gave him this power, but that he came from a clan as skilled in another area as the Uchiha. But he was surprised that instead he was excited, for several reasons. Firstly, if Naruto was that powerful, then it was possible he could teach Sasuke some of the methods he used to get that strong. Second, the idea of having a teammate that was strong meant he had something tangible, beyond his ambition, to strive for. He now knew he simply had to surpass Naruto. Sasuke turned to Homura to hear his answer.

Homura felt a little nervous with all the eyes on him but managed to say, "Well, yeah, basically. Being a single number and a sort of guard dog for Minaka's…investments," he picked his words carefully, knowing full well how Naruto felt about Minaka and his ambitions. "That granted me limited access to some detailed files. One bit of info I found was regarding the Uzumakis, who were regarded not only for their capability with seals, since pretty much every seal used by the Leaf village, even their paper bombs, was passed down from the Uzumaki. Not only that but most Uzumaki also had startling amounts of chakra." Looking up in thought Homura mused, "I remember encountering an Uzumaki woman a while back who was not only one hell of a fighter but seemed capable of throwing out C and B class jutsu like they were shuriken. That was something I've only known elemental Sekirei to be capable of."

Everyone was in complete shock, then turned to Naruto; who immediately waved his arms back and forth and said, "Hey, hey, I'm good but not _that_ good. I can barely control my chakra nature on its own let alone throw out jutsu like that. Well…that's mainly because I don't know any."

Listening to this, Sasuke steeled himself and asked his burning question, "Hey, Naruto."

Naruto took a moment and nodded in recognition.

"Can you teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" he asked.

Naruto nearly fell over and almost everyone else had their jaws hit the dirt.

Sasuke reddened slightly with everyone staring but didn't change his expression.

After collecting himself, Naruto smirked and then said with a nod, "Sure. But in return I want something from you."

Sasuke nodded readily.

"I want you to teach me the Fireball Jutsu," Naruto said confidently.

Sasuke gained a tic mark and said, "You can't learn it Naruto, fire isn't your element."

Naruto shot back, "It's not yours either."

Sasuke twitched slightly and said, "Perhaps, but my clan has an affinity for it so I've got an edge."

Naruto nodded and said, "I know that. I also know that it's possible to learn any jutsu of any element, only that jutsus outside of one's chakra nature take more time and practice."

Sasuke caught where he was going instantly and just nodded.

Standing Naruto said, "Alright, I think we're done here. Why don't we get started on training?"

Sakura was about to agree but then said, "That's all well and good, but it doesn't do any good if we don't know how to. All Kakashi sensei's done is his team exercises."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement and said, "In that case, why don't you work on you physical abilities?"

Sakura accepted but still asked, "If you've got anything beyond the normal stuff it'd help."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I do, but it's not exactly pleasant."

Sakura frowned but then looked at everyone else and decided she needed to catch up so she nodded and asked, "What is it?"

Naruto held out a set of paper tags with seals on them and said, "They're restriction seals. They're designed so that it requires more force for your body to move. Funnily enough, part of the training with these things is just getting to where you can walk normally without needing chakra."

"What do you mean without needing chakra?" she asked confused.

Naruto stared in disbelief. He then asked, "You mean you don't know how to enhance your body with chakra?"

Sakura shouted, "No! They don't teach that in the academy!"

Naruto sighed and then asked, "How about you Sasuke?"

Resisting the trademark Uchiha retort Sasuke just shook his head.

Naruto groaned and said, "Geez, and here I was hoping to get back to my regular training. If you guys give me two minutes I'll teach you how to do it."

They both nodded as Naruto created five hundred clones and split up their duties.

Sasuke and Sakura watched intensely as he did this. Sakura in sheer surprise that he could create that many and not get exhausted, it what they said about the shadow clone is correct. Sasuke in anticipation at being able to do that.

His anticipation quickly turned to irritation as he realized that he simply didn't have the reserves for that many clones. He hoped he had enough for at least a hundred.

After splitting them up Naruto looked to his teammates and nodded. He began, "Okay, the best way to show this is simple practice. Punch that tree."

They looked at him like he was crazy. Then they heard a crash and saw Musubi standing triumphantly next to a downed tree.

Naruto chuckled weakly and said, "Erm, Musubi, I wasn't talking to you; but good work." He suddenly got an idea and turned to Homura and asked, "Hey, Homura. Can Sekirei increase muscle mass the same way humans can?"

Homura raised an eyebrow at the question but nodded and said, "Far as I know."

Naruto smirked and then said, "Hey, Musubi, come here a moment."

Musubi nodded happily and ran over to her Ashikabi, staring at him expectantly.

Naruto quivered slightly at the gaze but recovered quickly, though not before Anko saw and formed a billion new ways to tease the blonde. Naruto pulled out some restriction tags and said, "Stick out your arms."

She did so happily and Naruto slid up her sleeves and grabbed her wrists to steady them. He was surprised at the softness of her skin despite being so strong but quickly regained his bearings. He place one of each tag in the middle of her forearms. He then gulped and said, "Ah…alright. Now I need to…put these two on your calves."

She nodded and plopped down on the ground and rolled down her socks, unintentionally giving him a view most men would kill for.

Skillfully suppressing his nosebleed he knelt down, making every effort not to look up, and stuck the tags to her legs. After that he stood up and she kipped happily to her feet with a confused expression.

Testing her muscles she said with a finger on her chin, "I don't feel any different."

Naruto laughed and said, "That's because I haven't activated them yet silly."

Musubi tapped a fist into her open palm and said, "Oh that makes sense."

Naruto nodded and formed a half hand sign, at which point Musubi stiffened up but did little else. Naruto was a little surprised, he had just increased the resistance to ten times normal, and most people would have either fallen flat on their faces or stiffened like stone; but Musubi didn't seem that affected.

Shrugging he made the hand sign again. At which point Musubi stumbled forward and stood wobbly, a look of extreme concentration as she steadied herself.

He had just doubled the resistance and yet it seemed she was simply having trouble moving. He increased it one more time. That was when Musubi immediately fell forward, landing flat on her face. Naruto smirked slightly and thought, '_So, twenty-one's her limit_.' His smirk turned to a confused frown as she stood up. It was slow and obviously strained, and she was barely keeping herself standing but was doing so nonetheless.

Naruto sighed and thought, '_A little more I guess_.' He increased the resistance to fifty times normal and that seemed to do it. She fell forward, flat on her face and seemingly incapable of getting up. She occasionally lifted her head up only to get slammed back down by some invisible force.

Sasuke asked absently, "What's going on?"

Naruto smiled and said, "It's my tags. I had to keep increasing the resistance until Musubi was unable to move, because that's where training starts."

Sasuke and Sakura gulped nervously.

Sakura then asked, "H-how much do most people start with?"

Naruto answered plainly, "Ten times normal."

Sasuke pointed to Musubi and asked, "Where's she?"

Naruto said just as plainly, "Fifty times normal."

The two genin gulped, that meant Musubi was at least forty or more times stronger than the average person.

Sasuke then asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted answered, "How much do you train with?"

Naruto grinned and said, "One hundred and fifty times normal, and I keep them active at all times."

Sasuke and Sakura turned white as ghosts. They just discovered that their teammate, who they know was strong, was capable of having his body experience one hundred and fifty times the normal amount of resistance on his body, keeping it stationary, and was able to move perfectly. Not only that but that he had it active nonstop.

Sasuke decided that if he wanted to catch _him_, and more currently catch Naruto he'd need those tags. Swallowing every bit of stubbornness he had left he walked over to Naruto and outstretched his hand and asked, "Can I use them?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile, for many reasons. He happily nodded and said, "Sure, I just need to fit your forearms and shins with one each, then flow some chakra to them."

Sasuke nodded as he removed the warmers on his arms and legs for Naruto to place the tags.

After securing them he looked at Sasuke and said, "This is just temporary. Once you get used to them I can place seals that won't be as vulnerable."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto made a half hand sign. Sasuke asked, "What's that for?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and then said, "I'm flowing chakra into the tags. They'll increase resistance base on how much chakra I put into them. I'm going to start by increasing it to twice normal. Tell me how that feels."

Sasuke nodded and felt his body stiffen slightly. There wasn't that much difference however and he said, "Not much different. You sure these things work?"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and said, "Yes. I am. I don't want to increase it too much or it could powderize your bones."

Sasuke gulped at the thought and nodded.

Of course Yahan took full advantage of his discomfort and said while flinging herself over his shoulders and rubbing his cheek, "Don't worry Sasuke, if you did get crippled I'd be sure to _entertain_ you all day." She then whispered in his ear, resulting in the 'infallible' Sasuke Uchiha leaking blood from his nose.

Naruto couldn't, and didn't try to, suppress his laugh at the situation and Sakura couldn't explain it, but she felt her lip quiver, and not from anger.

Sasuke just coughed into his hand and said shakily, "Can we just…get this going?"

Naruto chuckled and formed the half sign again, increasing the resistance level to four times.

Sasuke felt his body stiffen further but not be very restricted. He shook his head in response.

Naruto nodded and said, "Alright, I'm going up to ten times, tell me how that feels."

Sasuke nodded and felt the resistance increase dramatically. He was still able to move, although stiffly and with difficulty.

Naruto looked at him and asked, "Still able to move without adding to your strength with chakra?"

Sasuke had a rough idea what he meant and nodded.

Naruto smirked and said, "Good, I'll keep going until your body is nearly immobile without augmentation."

Sasuke wasn't pleased with that revelation but accepted it.

Naruto increased the resistance to fifteen times normal and that was Sasuke's limit, his body froze and he fell forward, landing in the dirt with a thud.

Sakura couldn't seem muster anything beyond raising a lazy hand and going, "Ah, should I help?"

Naruto shook his head and asked, "You wanna try?"

Sakura thought for a moment, her thoughts drifting to her tasks and missions with Naruto and Sasuke. She then nodded resolutely and said, "Yes."

Naruto nodded and gave her the tags to apply. He didn't want to get punched again.

After she applied the tags Naruto increased the resistance to twice normal, and Sakura seemed unaffected. He nodded and increased it again, he kept going until he reached ten times normal, and Sakura fell over.

Both expected her to face plant, but Sakura felt something catch her. She looked to her right and saw Homura holding on to her. She nodded and Homura set her down.

Naruto nodded and said teasingly, "It's probably obvious, but the first part of this training is being able to stand without much difficulty with the tags active. I've got a trick that could help, if you want."

The two immediately looked at him.

He snickered uncomfortably and said, "If you flow chakra through your muscles it will strengthen them. That's part of how I hit so hard."

They nodded and began coursing chakra through their muscles, although Sakura was able to do it quicker due to her better natural control. Even then the two of them were struggling, for different reasons however.

After that Naruto decided he might as well start on his own strength training. He increased his resistance to one hundred twenty-five, but was still able to manage. He increased it two hundred and discovered the hard way it was high enough.

* * *

Meanwhile, Uzume was training with a few of Naruto's clones who were practicing fighting styles. They were attacking her while she defended with her veils.

Two clones came from the right bearing kunai. One tossed its kunai and made several seals and said, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" One kunai turned to five.

"Oh, please," Uzume said with a smirk. She whipped a veil in front of her, deflecting the kunai. She then shot the veil forward and wrapped around the clone. She tossed the wrapped clone at the other, dispelling them both.

Three more clones rushed her from behind.

Uzume responded by forming three veils into spears and took care of those clones.

The remaining clones that were training stopped and immediately had a unanimous idea.

"Hey, why don't we get the others to fight too!" one of the clones proposed.

"That sounds like a good idea, bro," Uzume said with a thumbs up.

* * *

Uzume took off and found Tsukiumi and the rest. She hopped down and got their attention.

Tsukiumi stopped from drowning Toyotama and asked, "What doth thee require?"

Uzume walked over and said, "Naruto's shadow clones are over their training to fight, why don't we train with them?"

Tsukiumi immediately perked up and said, or rather commanded, "I see! Let us do it then." She then said quietly, "Though twould be better to train with my husband personally."

"What'd you say?" Taki asked puzzled.

Tsukiumi turned red and waved her arms and said, "Nothing, nothing! I didn't say a thing."

Uzume and Taki chuckled teasingly and the group, Uzume, Tsukiumi, Taki, Toyotama, and Akitsu went over to the group of shadow clones.

* * *

They quickly arrived in the clearing to see the many clones, who stopped sparring and noticed the Sekirei.

Uzume walked up and said, "So, wanna divide into groups?"

The clones nodded and broke into groups of ten with each Sekirei.

* * *

Toyotama prepared to face her group, who all equipped the sword Naruto just bought and assumed the kenjutsu pose Miya taught him. She uncovered her spear and got into a fighting stance.

* * *

Tsukiumi got ready to fight with water swirling around her, while the ten clones got into taijutsu stances.

* * *

Akitsu began forming ice spears, but had an uncomfortable expression.

One of the clones noticed this and asked, "Something wrong Akitsu?"

Akitsu stood silent for a moment and then nodded and said, "Ah…I don't like the idea of fighting mast-" she stopped as a clone walked up and bopped her on the head lightly.

It smirked and said, "What did Boss tell you? Neither he nor us are your master, we're friends remember? And friends spar. Besides, we're not actually real, so you won't be hurting Boss."

Akitsu gave a miniscule smile and nodded, the clone then rejoined the group and pulled out a kunai with the rest.

* * *

Uzume got ready with her veils as her clones prepared as well.

* * *

Taki, however, didn't get into a fighting stance. One of the clones tilted its head and asked, "What's up?"

Taki scratched her cheek and said uncomfortably, "I uhhh…don't know how to fight. I only ever used my mist and Zabuza didn't teach me any fighting techniques."

The clone sighed and said, "Well that's unfortunate. I guess even though we're clones we can help you. We know all of Boss's moves, so a simple taijutsu style shouldn't be too hard."

Taki nodded and said, "Great, though I wish I was training with Naruto himself."

Another clone pointed to itself and said, "I could let 'im know and he could see what he thinks."

Taki blinked in confusion as to how it would do that but nodded all the same.

The clone vanished in a puff of smoke. A couple minutes later a new clone appeared and said with a shrug, "He's busy training on his own right now, but one of us could teach you instead."

Taki pouted but agreed.

One of clones rushed over and walked away, giving a peace sign and smirking childishly back at the others, who were visibly annoyed.

* * *

Back with Tsukiumi, she nodded and the clones began their assault.

Two ran to the side and threw kunai, shouting, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" They continued circling around her throwing and multiplying kunai.

Tsukiumi smirked triumphantly and raised a circular wall of water, easily deflecting the kunai. She brought down the wall just in time to see one of the clones had snuck behind her with a kunai. She grit her teeth as she ducked to the side to dodge it. She kicked out with a high kick to the clone's gut, sending it flying and dispelling it.

She didn't catch the other clone that caught her in a bear hug as two more clones ran up with more knives.

"Curses!" Tsukiumi shouted, she condensed water in her hand and shot it at the clone behind her, but to her surprise it dodged.

The two clones closed in and Tsukiumi turned her hands to them, and called, "Water Celebration!" To her pleasure both clones were dispelled.

The other clone didn't expect her to surge water from her feet and flipped herself over the clone and punched it, dispelling it.

Four more clones came at her from all sides. She smirked and spun water around her, and shot it at them.

One clone was struck and dispelled but the other three dodged.

Two rolled to the side and the last jumped, high. In the air it decided on a desperate move. It grabbed four kunai and tossed them, then flashed several hand signs and called, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" The four became twenty, all falling at her in high speeds.

Tsukiumi saw this and prepared to dodge, but the other two did the same. Deciding that dodging sixty kunai was near impossible she brought up a dome of water that blocked the kunai as they all crashed into it in a popping symphony.

Right as the dome fell she had the aerial clone bearing down on her with a cocked fist. Her eyes widened and she retaliated with her own fist. She flinched as she felt her wrist bend back uncomfortably. She pulled up on her fist and threw the clone away. Her anger getting the better of her, she raised her leg high in the air, giving it quite the view the original would get, and smashed her heel into its chest as it burst away.

* * *

Elsewhere in the clearing Naruto, who was almost standing, just received the clones' memories, one specific segment, and fell over with a bloody nose.

* * *

Tsukiumi panted and then heard another clone say with a laugh, "I see why Homura calls you panty flash now."

She turned back with a sneer and sent a crescent blade of water that cleaved it in two, leaving only the last of the group. It froze as she threw a large burst of water at it.

It dove to the side and sighed in relief, only to be crushed under foot.

The last two clones finished a conversation and began to run at her.

She simply smirked and said, "Come, I am prepared for whatever thee can hurl."

The clone to her left smirked and form the Shadow Clone sign.

Tsukiumi's eyes widened and she said in surprise, "What!? A clone can perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu?!"

The clone smirked and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two clones appeared beside it and one charged at Tsukiumi.

She huffed and threw a punch.

What she didn't expect is that the clone wasn't a normal shadow clone, it was an exploding clone.

Tsukiumi shouted in surprise and pain as the clone exploded in a moderate fireball.

The clones high-fived but froze in fear as Tsukiumi bellowed, "HOW DARE THEE!"

The smoke cleared to show Tsukiumi with her black dress torn and her white under-dress shredded, exposing one breast and giving further credence to Homura's 'affectionate' nickname. Of course the clones were busy seeing her infuriated expression, which was a mixture of anger and embarrassment with her face covered from forehead to neck in deep red. Water swirled around violently and she shouted, "Water Torrent!" A massive swell of water surged towards the first two clones, dispelling them instantly with the force before turning on a dime and heading towards the last one.

It stood frozen in place flailing before finally taking off at high speed, only to be crushed by the violent wave.

Tsukiumi huffed and then looked at herself and sighed.

* * *

Back in the other clearing, Naruto sighed and said, "This is pointless. With my clones sending me these images I'll never get any training done." He deactivated his resistance seals and stood up.

Right as he did Tsukiumi walked into the clearing.

He screamed shortly and covered his eyes and said, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see anything!"

Tsukiumi tilted her head and asked, "What hath gotten into thee?"

Naruto peeked through his fingers, being careful to reveal only her face, and said, "Well…you're…indecent. So I shouldn't look. Besides, I don't want to end up like my clones."

Tsukiumi blushed deeply, having just remembered the memory feedback of the clones and instinctively covered herself with her arms. She then eased up some and said, "Naruto."

Naruto, who was turned away trying to look occupied, said uneasily, "Y-yeah?"

Tsukiumi looked at him worried and asked, "Art thou…ashamed of my body?"

Naruto turned around in surprise, only to quickly turn back and say, "Uhm, no. It's…a wonderful body." He then realized what he said and, due to past experience, expected something violent. When nothing happened for several seconds he turned around slowly and saw Tsukiumi standing unsurely with a deeply reddened face and looking down at the ground. He then asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked up through her bangs with a small smile and said, "It…it makes me happy to know that thee thinks of me as such."

Naruto turned around completely, too shocked to be embarrassed. His own face turned red as he saw her red cheeks contrast wonderfully with the fair skin on her face, the upper part of which was covered by her blonde hair as it flowed in the wind.

He was so entranced he didn't notice she had been walking up to him slowly until she was right there. She took his left hand in her right and said, "Naruto, thou art my husband. As such, my body, this body, is thy to do with as thee please. All that thou need do is ask." She took his left hand and placed over her exposed breast.

His face turned a deeper red and he unconsciously squeezed it, resulting in a small moan from her.

Seeing her fair skinned face tinted red with her pursed lips, Naruto didn't even realize it when he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes widened in surprise at first but then softened as she closed them back and sunk into his kiss, leaning her body into his.

Naruto took his free arm and wrapped it around her waist and pulled her closer. He slipped his tongue against her teeth, and she responded first by pushing back with her own, and then shortly after gave way. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and began to explore. He noticed the salty taste to her that had an undercurrent of sweet that he noticed quite well. He moved around as much as he could to take in that sweet sensation as much as he could.

As he did that wings of water appeared from her back and pressed against the bushes and trees, soaking them thoroughly. After several seconds they pulled apart and took a moment to look at each other. They stepped apart blushing heavily, which then turned to reciprocated content smiles as they simply looked at each other lovingly.

Though they quickly regained their senses and turned away from each other embarrassed.

* * *

Not much later the others seemed to finish their spars, training periods for Sasuke and Sakura, and rejoined Naruto and Tsukiumi. Of course Naruto's other Sekirei immediately became suspicious, with Musubi being the first to speak.

"Heeeyyy!" she shouted with a pout. "What are you guys doing?!" she asked.

Naruto flailed his arms and said, "Nothing, I swear!"

His actions caused the others to noticed two things. He wasn't wearing his orange and black jacket. Second, they noticed that Tsukiumi was.

Naruto seemed to realize this and said hurriedly, "Her dress got torn while she was sparring with my clones! I gave her my jacket so she wouldn't be…indecent."

Sasuke, Sakura and their Sekirei weren't convinced but Naruto's own Sekirei could feel his sincerity and accepted it; albeit not happily.

The two other genin walked and sat down exhausted and Sakura said, "Well we got to where we could stand, then the tags shut off."

Naruto nodded and said, "I designed them that way, since the physical tags are for beginners."

The duo nodded and Sasuke asked, "So, ready for the shadow clone?"

Naruto stood up with a nod and said, "But first, you need to teach me the signs for the fireball."

Sasuke grumbled but agreed. He brought his hands up and said, "Pay attention. The signs for the jutsu are mi, hitsuji, saru, i, uma, and tora." He made the signs quicker, but more slowly than he would during combat and then said, "The last motion is to make a ring with your fingers and, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He shouted the name, inhaled, formed a ring with his index and thumb, brought in front of his mouth and exhaled the breath; the exhalation became a moderate sixed stream of fire. Sasuke stood triumphantly with a smirk at the singed tree and said, "So, think you can do that?"

Naruto nodded and then said, "I need a minute but I'll be right back." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

A few seconds later and Naruto reappeared in a similar burst of smoke. He put a big grin on his face and said excitedly, "Right! So, you ready to learn the most useful jutsu in existence!?"

Sasuke simply looked at him with a blank expression and Anko coughed into her fist behind him.

Naruto chuckled embarrassed and said, "Rrrriiiigght. Well, I assume you remember some of the basics about the shadow clone?"

Sasuke nodded and said, "It divides your chakra evenly to make solid clones; you get memory feedback from a clone when it expels, and this can often be traumatizing; the clone also has its own network so it can perform jutsu, but will dispel when all of its chakra is used up."

Sakura clasped her hands and thought with starry-eyes, '_Sasuke's so cool, he remembered all of that!_'

Homura just sighed, he had thought she had gotten rid of Inner Sakura, but it seemed she still lingered.

Naruto chuckled and said, "You memorized it with you sharingan, didn't you?"

Sasuke smirked and said, "It gives me an eidetic memory."

Sakura suddenly felt a weight hit her shoulders and she mumbled, "He memorized it with the sharingan? I don't think that counts."

"What's that?" Sasuke asked absent-mindedly, not hearing what she said.

Sakura waved her arms furiously and said, "Nothing, nothing!"

Sasuke huffed and said, "So, we gonna start?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Might as well activate your sharingan, it's an easy sign to remember but better safe than sorry."

Sasuke nodded and activated his fledgling sharingan.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction and formed the shadow clone hand sign. He then said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A single clone burst into existence next to him.

Sasuke deactivated his sharingan and said, "That it?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Just fair warning, I was there when Anko learned the jutsu, the chakra drain nearly knocked her on her ass so just get ready to be winded."

Sasuke nodded and formed the hand sign and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A solid clone of Sasuke appeared nearby. The original then began breathing heavier than normal.

Naruto smirked and said with a chuckle, "I'm impressed, it seems you've at least got enough to stay on your feet with one clone."

Sasuke caught his breath and said with a smirk, "What do you expect, I'm an Uchiha."

Naruto snickered and said, "Guess so. Alright, dispel the clone, but be warned that everyone, without exception, will get a headache of some degree from the feedback."

Sasuke nodded to him and then to the clone, which promptly dispelled. Sasuke then stumbled backwards clutching his head in discomfort, but aside from a mildly annoyed expression was fine.

Naruto nodded proudly and said, "Good, it seems like the feedback isn't affecting you too much."

Sasuke immediately ran over and started grinding his fists against Naruto's temples and he said dangerously, "Isn't affecting me too much? This hurts like hell you bastard. I was expecting something like a brain freeze, not a full on stone to head you jerk."

This immediately when Sasuke noticed the back of his collar raise up. He turned his head curiously and then paled.

Musubi had ahold of his collar with a fire in her eyes. She tightened her grip and promptly threw him at a tree, getting him stuck neck deep while she shouted, "You will not hurt Naruto!"

Sasuke simply hang from the tree twitching, before he finally went limp. Yahan and Sakura immediately raced over to make sure he was okay, Naruto simply nursed his head; fortunately for him it was nothing as bad as what he usually received from Anko.

* * *

After managing to free him from the tree, and Musubi apologizing for putting him there, the group decided that with dusk approaching the Forest of Death was not the ideal place to be. So they packed up what they needed to and left the forest.

They quickly arrived at the forest's gates, though their speed was less attributed to themselves as it was to Naruto's familiarity with the forest and the deathly chase Anko was giving them.

They all, aside from Naruto, Musubi, Anko and Homura, were standing at the gate trying to catch their breath. Sakura finally regained some energy, looked angrily at Anko and shouted, "What's the big idea!?"

Anko merely snickered while twirling a kunai and said, "Just thought I'd give you some last minute training." She then proceeded to walk over to Naruto grab him in a loose headlock that just so happened to land his head against her chest. She smirked at the effect it had on his Sekirei then said while poking his cheek, "I was actually chasing you at about a third the speed I usually chase the little brat over here."

This time even Sasuke paled and was the first to mumble, "O-o-one third?"

Anko nodded and said, "Yup, now why don't you kiddies run along?"

Naruto grumbled and headed out with his Sekirei nearby.

* * *

Eventually it was just him and his Sekirei along Sakura and Homura.

Naruto gained an uncomfortable expression and slowed his pace slightly so that he eventually met up with Tsukiumi, who was making up the group's tail with a lost expression.

After several seconds where she didn't respond, Naruto eventually nudged her elbow, getting her to perk up her head with an embarrassed look.

She then turned to Naruto, gaining no small amount of blush, and said, "Ah…Naruto. What tis it thy needst?"

Naruto scratched his head and said uncomfortably, "Erm, about before…"

Tsukiumi proceeded to imitate a high school girl by pressing her index fingers together with an intense red hue and asked, "Dost, dost thy mean that…event within the wood?"

Naruto paled at her choice of words but collected himself enough to give a weak nod.

Tsukiumi put her arms behind her back and said quietly, "I…I suggest we keep that particular…event quiet. Consider it…a moment of weakness on my part."

Naruto blinked in confusion and asked, "A moment of weakness?"

Tsukiumi nodded and said, "Aye. I was made…uncomfortable by thy gaze and my, baser instincts took over." With a hair flip she seemed to revert to her normal self, though averting her gaze from her fellow blonde, and said confidently, "After all, I doth pride myself on mine ability and control over my emotions. As such it would tarnish my image to have such…sensitive information made known."

Naruto simply laughed pathetically, but they both froze when Uzume intervened with, "Ooohhh, what sensitive information?"

Both blondes made an exact copy of the other's movements and shouted while waving their arms wildly, "Nothing, nothing at all!"

Uzume giggled and said, "Right, just be sure that whatever _information_ you shared doesn't get shared again within Izumo Inn. It wouldn't do for my Ashikabi to get sliced in half," she accentuated with a wink.

Naruto and Tsukiumi simply shook at the thought of Miya's wrath but continued onward.

* * *

Sasuke returned to his home, though unwillingly accompanied by Yahan.

Sasuke simply sighed as the smiling Sekirei walked beside him.

"Something wrong, my Sasuke?" she asked cutely.

Sasuke reddened slightly simply, "Hn, no. I'm…" He trailed as they stopped.

Yahan blinked several times and then asked puzzled, "You what?" She then turned to face ahead and saw they were standing in front of the gate to the Uchiha district, but that there were some minor changes.

The tape sealing it off from the village had been removed and there were construction workers inside, removing all traces of the Uchiha, seemingly preparing it for use by the rest of the village.

Sasuke, enraged bolted inside, found one of the works and grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "What the hell's going on here!?"

The man cringed in fear and stammered, "Ah…well, you see the council-"

"The council what!?" Sasuke screamed.

Yahan ran over and pulled him off the man and said, "Sasuke, calm down. What's going on?"

He turned and swung his arm wide and shouted, "Hell if I know! These people are-" he stopped as he looked at her. He then realized he had unintentionally hit her across the face when he turned.

Yahan sat on the ground with a hand to her reddened cheek, her eyes widened in surprise.

Sasuke pulled back slightly, his eyes wavering before he simply took off.

Yahan stood up and shouted, "Sasuke! Wait!" She turned to the construction worker angrily.

The man brought his arms up defensively but lowered them Yahan spoke softly.

"What's going on?" she asked simply.

Taking a moment to realize she wasn't going to attack him, but still quavering in her stern gaze the bearded man said, "Well, the council sent out an order to begin reforming the Uchiha district. It's been four years since…_that_…so they figured it was about time to make the nearly empty district usable to compensate for some of the overgrowth in the rest of the city."

Yahan blinked and said, "Is that why _every_ trace of the Uchiha are being taken away."

The man nodded shakily and said, "Y-yeah. It would provide some discomfort to the residents if they were constantly reminded what happened here."

Yahan sighed and asked, "And you don't think that Sasuke doesn't, and won't, live with that?"

The man scratched his cheek and said with a shrug, "Not sure, but the council also said he was to receive normal housing requirements."

"Normal requirements, like what?" she asked.

Another voice, a female voice, answered, "A job and the ability to pay the village the necessary taxes for living in a house."

Yahan looked over her shoulder to see a stuffy woman with short black hair and glasses wearing a grey business suit holding a clipboard.

The woman then added, "He's been living here, in an empty housing area, rent free for four years as the village's form of recompense. But he can't simply go on like that while others are forced to suffer homelessness because this area isn't useable."

Yahan growled and turned fully to the woman and asked, "Oh? Something tells me that he won't just turn a blind eye because of that."

The woman pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and said haughtily, "It matters not whether he accepts it or not. It simply _is_ and there's little he can do about it. He has received special treatment in every area of his life because he is the last member of the prestigious Uchiha clan, but it is now time he begins living up to that name become part of the regular militia."

Yahan grit her teeth and said quietly, but audibly, "That so? I'd love to see you tell this to him."

The woman snorted and said, "Hardly, I'm simply on the village's advisory board for housing and development. Social services will handle that part. Now, this is a construction zone and your…_outfit_…is hardly suited to such a task so I suggest you leave before you're detained for interfering with village proceedings."

Yahan huffed and walked past the woman, being sure to bump her shoulder as she left.

Once she got far enough away she made for the rooftops and began searching for Sasuke.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was heading down to his favorite spot in town. A small ramen stand owned by a father daughter duo, Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku.

He made his way there whistling when something caught his eye. He proceeded to walk backwards slowly and then turn his head towards an alley. He then turned fully and walked over with a raised eyebrow.

Sitting mostly concealed behind a dumpster was someone Naruto never in his life expected to be laying somewhere looking decrepit.

That someone was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, who seemed to have a lost expression on his face, an expression Naruto was all too familiar with.

That expression a person gets when what is their normal stable life is completely upheaved. An experience Naruto had many times. He didn't know why the Uchiha was out there, but he did know something. That if Sasuke really was anything like most people, that the one thing he needed, not necessarily wanted, was a distraction.

Naruto wasn't much for mushy stuff, so he did the only thing he could think of. He walked over and popped Sasuke right on top of his head.

After Sasuke finished nursing his swollen head he turned to Naruto with a half-hearted glare and said, "What was that for, loser?"

Naruto grinned and said, "I just happen to see the _great_ Sasuke Uchiha sitting behind a trash can like a lost puppy."

Sasuke stood up and looked left, right, then up, and then finally back to Naruto and asked meekly, "Is it really that bad?"

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Oh yeah, you look pretty pathetic."

Sasuke flattened his brow and said, "I oughta deck you."

Naruto snickered and said, "How about before that we eat?"

Sasuke tilted his head in confusion and Naruto thumbed towards Ichiraku ramen.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought but then shrugged and said, "Long as you're paying."

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "S-sure."

The two teens made their way to the stand and a teenage girl in a chef's uniform with waist-length brown hair walked out from behind curtain and said merrily, "Well look who it is, our FAVORITE customer." She shouted favorite, which was accompanied by the sound of rummaging followed by an older male voice saying, "Ouch," as the sound of a pan hitting the floor echoed throughout the stand.

The teenage girl walked over to the counter and put her elbows on it, resting her head on the butt of her hand. She looked at Naruto, then to Sasuke, then back to Naruto and asked, "So, who's your friend?"

Naruto chuckled and put his hand over Sasuke's should, making the ravenette visibly uncomfortable, and said happily, "This is my teammate Sasuke." He then pointed to the girl and said to Sasuke, "And this is Ayame Ichiraku, her dad owns this stand and they make the best ramen in the world."

Sasuke simply waved nonchalantly at the girl.

She nodded and asked, "So, why're you two here? Though to you specifically," she paused as she grabbed Naruto's cheek and began to tug with a false glare and asked, "Why haven't _you_ been here in a while."

"Ayame…huwts…owwie," he managed to squeak through his outstretched cheek.

She let go of his cheek with an audible 'snap' as it recoiled and returned to her normal expression as the blonde nursed his cheek. She then turned to Sasuke and asked, "So, I haven't seen you around before. Any special reason you're here?"

He simply sat with a flat expression and pointed to Naruto.

Ayama giggled and said, "Well, then it seems he knows his stuff." She turned with a grumble and shouted, "Dad, get out here already!"

Eventually an older man with narrow eyes and grey hair walked out from behind the curtain and said abashedly, "Sorry about the wait, seems that Ayame misplaced some pans so I had to rearrange them."

Ayame put her hands on her hips and argued, "_I_ misplaced them? How about _you_ didn't place them period?"

The old man simply laughed and turned to Naruto and asked, "So, what'll it be?"

Ayame flailed her arms and shouted, "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "I'll have the usual, old man Teuchi."

Teuchi nodded and turned to Sasuke, handed him a menu and said, "Just holler when you decide what you want."

Sasuke nodded absent-minded and began to peruse the menu while Naruto took up a conversation with Ayame about the best kind of chopsticks. Sasuke could only bury his head in his menu as their conversation got more ludicrous, and loud. Eventually he turned and shouted, "Would you be quiet!"

Naruto and Ayame froze. Naruto took a moment to blink, while Sasuke pulled back slightly and gave his order to Teuchi, who responded with a simple thumbs-up.

Naruto then turned to Sasuke as Ayame went to help her father and asked, "So, why were you all the way out here looking like some homeless sod?"

Sasuke seemed to cringe at the word 'homeless' and said through grit teeth, "It's the council."

Naruto blinked and joked, "Why? They trying to impose the CRA on you or somethin'?"

Sasuke sent him an obvious 'not amuse' looked, prompting the blonde to shut up and said, "No, they've…they've decided to repurpose the Uchiha district for general development."

Naruto was shocked. He knew personally the council could be selfish biggots, but that was not something he expected. So he responded with the usual question, "You serious?"

Sasuke simply nodded and said, "Yes. They've also revoked my privilege to live in my parents' old house."

Naruto was internally kicking himself for the homeless joke. He sighed and said, "Man, that sucks. I know how the council is from experience, but I never expected them to treat you like this? No offence but to them you're practically a priceless relic."

Sasuke responded flatly, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Good point."

"Here ya go," Teuchi said as he placed the two's bowls down.

They thanked for the food, snapped their chopsticks and began to eat, though uncomfortably silent for Naruto's tastes. He began to regret not inviting at least one of his Sekirei. He turned to Sasuke and decided to ask, "So, what're you gonna do?"

Sasuke paused momentarily than took his bite and said after swallowing, "Don't know. Why do you care anyway?" He sent the blonde a suspicious glare.

Naruto shrunk at the glare slightly but answered with a shrug, "Dunno. We're teammates, so I just…figured it's the right thing to at least ask."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and said, "Well…thanks, I guess."

Naruto then perked up and said, "Hey, I think Miya's got some free rooms at the inn."

Sasuke turned promptly and deadpanned, "I am _not_ living in the same building as you and your harem."

Naruto fell out of his chair with a nosebleed and screamed while pointing, "They are _not_ my harem!"

Sasuke gained a microscopic smirk and asked, "What are they then?"

Naruto fumbled over his words for several seconds before plopping down in his chair and saying with a huff, "Well they're not my harem."

Sasuke's smirk widened and he thought, '_Gotcha_.' His face then normalized and he said, "Thanks for the offer but I'll pass, living in the same building as you and you're…whatever you want to call them," Naruto sent him an annoyed glare that he ignored, "is not an attractive idea." He sighed as he finished his bowl and stood, "Thanks for the meal."

Naruto blinked as he took off and asked, "Hey old man, what did he order?"

Teuchi pointed to an item on the menu and Naruto paled and then hollered, "THAT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING ON THE MENU YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

Down the street Sasuke looked at the sky with smirk before moving to the rooftops.

* * *

**And that's it. Tell me what you guys thought in a review, I would really like to know what you guys think of how the story's progressing, as well as some general guesswork on who you think Naruto's sensei was and who the hooded figure is. They aren't the same person in case anyone thought that. This isn't a ploy I'm just interested in seeing how the references and hints I've been dropping are hitting you guys.**

**Also like I said I'm in need of Sekirei-Ashikabi combos involving shinobi of genin or chunin age from the other villages. I've already got four characters but am willing to accept more. One more thing, one of the reviews got me thinking, should Sakura keep living with her parents, just after a heated argument and some cooldown time, or should she move to Izumo Inn? I'll manage no matter what I do but I wanted to hear what you guys think.**

**Anway that's it for this chapter so see ya in the next.**


	17. New Guests and New Information

Chapter XVII

**Yo, chapter seventeen! Hasn't been very long I know, but I assume that's a good thing. Anyway my beta seems to have dropped off the face of the planet and my writing in the last few chapters he's edited hasn't received much beyond a few sparse punctuation corrections and maybe a word or two I messed up. So for now I'll going it solo. Plus I had another writer helping me with the more sensitive scenes and the last one I sent him didn't need anything at all so I figure that's at least improved to an acceptable level and the only thing left is to improve with experience. Now this is yet another action light chapter but don't worry, as I inch close to the chunin exams things will heat up. Plus the next chapter or two will be part of my own original story arc.**

**I think that's everything so let's move on to reviewer responses.**

**ebo372: Sorry, Jiraiya won't be getting any Sekirei love. Besides, Yahan is already with Sasuke.**

**Exanime Draco: We already talked in PMs and I've gotten a solution to my little problem but I just wanted to take a moment to say that yours is the kind of review writers love. Long, detailed, and chock full of suggestions or areas that need improvement. If only every review was as loaded as yours, so for that I thank you.**

**Strife666: You may have missed it but yes. Instead of unlimited credit cards they use pieces of paper with transportation seals that allow them to access MBI's near infinite stockpiles of ryo.**

**Markus-Antonius: That whole event is explained here and my hopes is it makes you hate the council almost as much as I do. I suppose I will freely admit that if there were one group of characters in the Naruto world I hated it would easily be the civilian council.**

**dragonmage666: I have my reasons and you're right it IS a power grab by the council, just not exactly in the way you're thinking. Don't worry, Sasuke makes sure the Uchiha clan's jutsus are nice and safe. I had him walk away without hurting a work because he, in his anger, ended up hitting Yahan. He has developed enough humanity to feel such great guilt for hurting someone who is so loyal to him. He just runs off because doing that caused his mind to go crazy and he left because of guilt. If I hadn't wanted that specific pot detail in there then he would have pounded one of the workers into the dirt but I felt having him hit Yahan by accident and struggling with the guilt of it (since guilt is such a foreign concept to canon Sasuke) would help build his character up more.**

**Keeper of Harmony: I thank you for your great praise. I've tried my best to get good character development and keeping the characters as true to canon as possible, though I have made changes to many just so they aren't quite as infuriating.**

**shazbotz77: Yay, another long review. You needn't apologize for it being long, I love long detailed reviews. I understand that a lot of people don't seem too happy about me removing Kazehana. She's a powerhouse for sure, but I simply didn't like the idea of her with Naruto, but I _did_ like the idea of her with Asuma. The reasons will be aired out soon enough. Also she won't simply be falling off the face of the earth, she hasn't had much exposure but that's because I'm focusing on Naruto and his group. As soon as I can lift the focus a bit I'll aim it at Asuma and Kazehana. Plus I've got some plans for her in the near future. I'm pretty sure this won't make up for her being removed but I hope this at least helps you accept it. If not I apologize but there is simply a reason I made this specific pairing and it wouldn't work with anyone else and I really didn't see it working with Kurenai.**

**Now that those responses are finished, let's get going to why you people are really here. Also, thanks to a few key people Sekirei/Ashikabi suggestions are now closed, all of the pairings have been made they are set.**

* * *

Pein sat on his makeshift throne as the rain fell around him, his eternally bored expression adorning his face.

Soon he was made aware of a new presence. He turned and said uninterestedly, "Konan. What is it?"

A woman with short blue hair, an origami flower on the right side of her hair, amber eyes and lavender eye shadow with a labret piercing. She wore the same robes as Kisame, Itachi, and Pein, albeit hers were slightly more fitting. She walked up to Pein and said emotionlessly, "Lord Pein, the Discipline Squad have returned."

He nodded and said, "Send them in."

Benitsubasa and Karasuba entered through a side door and walked up to Pein. Benitsubasa waved energetically and said, "Hey spikey."

Konan glared angrily at the girl but maintained her calm façade with a hand motion from Pein.

He turned to look at the two and them back out to the village and said, "It took you quite a while to return."

Karasuba ran her hand along the hilt of her sword and said, "We ran into a few Sekirei who refused to participate. They were dealt with soundly."

Benitsubasa gave a knowing expression and said, "Riiigghht…you just wanted an excuse to kill something."

Karasuba chuckled darkly and said, "I won't deny that."

Pein then turned to them and asked, "Did you encounter the jinchuriki?"

The two nodded and Karasuba said, "No. I fought with Itachi's little brother and Benitsubasa fought with two unrelated Sekirei alongside Kisame."

Pein nodded and said to Konan, "Get ready, I'm going to call a meeting."

Konan nodded and told the Discipline Squad members, "It's time for you to leave."

Karasuba simply nodded and left but Benitsubasa stuck out her tongue before joining her.

Konan grumbled lowly and said, "Nagato, why do you put up with them?"

He gave a hard look and said, "I told you not to call me that, and because they serve my purpose. A god needs angels of death."

Konan flinched from gaze but simply nodded.

* * *

In the Leaf Village, Sasuke was sitting on a bench at a dango stand with Yahan and sighed angrily. He had just gone to the council room to get an answer for what happened to the Uchiha district. What he witnessed angered him greatly.

* * *

_ Sasuke walked up to the double doors of the council room as the ANBU checked him for hidden weapons. They nodded and let him in._

_As he entered all conversations that had been proceeding halted. He then noticed the civilian council smirk as he entered while many of the shinobi council glared at them. He was confused but ignored in favor of his major purpose._

_He walked towards the large horseshoe shaped table that seated the civilian and shinobi councils with the Hokage at the center. He then said, "I want some answers."_

_Hiruzen sighed and said, "Sasuke, you know we can't answer a question you don't ask."_

_Sasuke felt a sweat-drop coming for his obvious oversight and clarified, "I want to know, why has the Uchiha district been retaken by the village?" Sasuke was keenly aware of the confident expressions the civilian council were failing to hide._

_Hiruzen sighed and said, "The answer to that is quite simple. The civilian council decided that civil development takes precedent over clan privileges. You will still have the privileges you normally do, you simply need to find a place to stay." Hiruzen and Sasuke simultaneously withheld sighs as the civilian council snickered._

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought and decided to check on his suspicions. "What if I asked to be provided housing?" His suspicions were proven as the civilian council sprang into action. Every single councilor with a daughter began clamoring for him to live with them. He clenched his fists and thought, '_That's it huh? Those bastards did that so they could try and set me up?_' He looked at Hiruzen who nodded imperceptibly and Sasuke thought, '_Well they won't get the chance._' He then said, "I won't ask, I've got other solutions." Even more credence was added to his supposition as the council vehemently opposed this decision, especially one Mebuki Haruno, the mother of Sakura Haruno. He said, "I would like to request one more limited piece of access to the Uchiha to collect a few items."_

_Hiruzen nodded and said, "I've made certain that taking anything of the Uchihas without your permission is expressly forbidden. Collect what you need and the remaining items will be dealt with. Any requests on what to do with those items?"_

_Sasuke shook his head and said, "No, once I have what I want you may do as you please." He then looked at the civilian council and muttered just loud enough to hear, "It's not like you haven't already."_

_He then turned and left the council room with Yahan right behind him._

_As soon as the doors closed the civilian council exploded in an uproar, but one banshee woman shrieked, "WHO WAS THAT WOMAN!?"_

_Everyone, even the other civilian councilors, covered their ears in pain._

_Hiruzen cleaned out his ear with one finger and then said, "She is Yahan, a close friend of his."_

"_Huuuh? That's unacceptable, he must make _my_ Sakura one of his close friends," she argued._

_The other councilors then joined in an argument of whose daughters should be his close friend before Hiruzen released a heavy wave of killer intent and shouted, "SILENCE!"_

* * *

_ Outside Sasuke turned to the council room and slammed his fist into a wall. He then said, "I refuse to be used by anyone." After that he proceeded to find a place to think._

* * *

That lead to his current situation with him thinking of what to do, about collecting the items he needed and housing, while Yahan happily munched on dango.

He then got an idea as a solution presented itself in the form of one blonde haired Ashikabi. He immediately got up and walked over to Naruto and put his hand on his shoulder.

The sudden contact caused the blonde to jump from experience, but he loosened when he realized who it was. He turned and asked, "Oh, it's you Sasuke. Don't spook me like that."

Sasuke neglected to apologize as he asked, "Naruto, I…need a few favors."

Naruto turned to him fully and said with a smirk, "That's rare."

Sasuke glared in response but kept silent.

Naruto made a nice guy pose as he asked, "So, what can I do for you?"

Sasuke gave an uncomfortable expression at Naruto's new pose but ignored it and asked, "Do you have any storage scrolls I can use?"

Naruto blinked and reached into his pocket, unrolled a scroll and then unsealed a scroll from it and handed it to Sasuke saying, "This has got some unused ones inside."

Sasuke looked at it puzzled and then thought, '_A storage scroll inside a storage scroll inside a storage scroll?_' He became slightly disheveled as he thought, '_My head hurts._'

Naruto then asked, "What's the other favor?"

Sasuke stiffened up, then proceeded to go through many subtle facial expressions as he fought with himself. He then decided that if it meant he wasn't being used by the civilian council, he'd give up a little of his pride and asked, "Can…can you see…if Miya has any vacancies?"

Naruto blinked in curiosity and then gave a thumbs up and said happily, "You bet! I wouldn't worry, she usually does."

Sasuke cracked a small smile and said, "Thanks."

Naruto nodded and then said, "Well would you look at that? I forgot what I even came out here for. I'll go ahead and head on back and talk to Miya."

Sasuke nodded as Naruto took off.

Yahan walked up to him and asked, "What was that all about?"

He turned to her and said, "Finding a place to live where I'm not going to be used by the council."

Yahan nodded and asked, "We goin' to the Uchiha district?"

He nodded and proceeded to jump to the rooftops with Yahan right behind him.

* * *

The duo quickly arrived in the district and much to Sasuke's satisfaction, all of the workers seemed to be gone. He and Yahan jumped down to street level and he said, "Let's go to my house first. There are a few things I want to collect from there."

Yahan nodded and asked, "Did the Uchiha have any clothing stores?"

Sasuke tilted his head and said, "Yes. Why?"

Yahan chuckled and said, "Don't think that outfit's getting a little ragged?"

He looked at the outfit he was wearing and decided it was getting a little beaten up and sighed. "My house first," he said.

Yahan nodded with a smile.

* * *

The two walked in somber silence as they moved through the empty streets of the district, eventually approaching the clan head's house and went inside.

Yahan asked, "So, what do you need from here?"

Sasuke looked at the empty house lost in his own thoughts and said mindlessly, "I want to collect a few books, and my dad's old sword."

"Sword?" she said puzzled.

Sasuke moved to where his parent's bedroom was and stopped as he reached for the handle, his hand trembling as the memories from this room flowed into his mind.

* * *

"_Mother! Father!" a young Sasuke shouted as he saw the bloody bodies of his parents on the floor. "NO!" he screamed as he fell to his knees, putting a hand over his mouth to hold back the vomit._

_Before coming this far he had walked through the district, witnessing the dead bodies of his clan members, all ages and sizes, strewn across the streets killed mercilessly and bloodily._

"_So. You've finally come, little brother," a calm voice said from behind Sasuke._

_He turned slowly, his mind filled with fear as he saw his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, standing behind with a sword in hand. The blade, hilt, and Itachi himself covered in blood. His eyes widened as his whole body screamed to run, to flee. His body wouldn't respond as he simply sat there, trembling in frozen fear._

"_Sasuke," his brother said. "Sasuke. Sasuke."_

* * *

"Sasuke!" Yahan shouted as he snapped out of his thoughts.

He turned to her and asked, "W-what is it?"

"I should be asking that," she said concerned as she wiped his cheek. "You were trembling and crying."

His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed angrily. He looked at the door in front of him angrily and said calmly, "This room. It was my parents' room. I came in here, and saw them both dead. Killed by my brother."

Yahan's eyes shot wide in shock.

"That day four years ago, he killed everyone in the clan…except me. He left me alive so he could test his powers in the future. He killed my clan because he was bored with his ANBU missions and wanted to test his abilities. He did it all…for such stupid reasons," Sasuke said as he trembled in rage. His whole body froze as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down to see Yahan looking at him with a sympathetic smile.

She said soothingly, "You had to live with that alone for so long?" Her smile turned sweet as she said, "Well you don't need to anymore. I'm here, along with Naruto and the others. We'll help you share that burden, 'kay?"

He was frozen in surprise, but then he loosened as he said ironically, "That can't happen."

She looked at him confused but waited for him to finish.

"I'm the one that Itachi targeted with this. I'm the one who has to kill him. Ow!" he said as Yahan lightly knocked him on the head, causing him to fall to the floor.

She looked at him with a slightly scolding expression and said, "If he really did say those things to you, wouldn't you imagine he did it to keep you weak? He'd want you to grow up consumed by your own hatred and suffer, right?"

He looked at her puzzled as he nursed his growing welt.

Yahan crouched down and poked one finger into his forehead and said, "Rise above that. Prove to him that you aren't weak. Show him you're strong enough to not be held back by him, that you aren't controlled by him." She tilted her head to the side and gave a soft smile as she said, "Kay?"

Sasuke's eyes widened exponentially before his whole body drooped and he returned her smile with a weaker smile and said with a small nod, "I'll…try."

She stood up confidently and said, "Right! So, _we_ will go into this room to get what you need. That way…you're not facing the horrors of this room and those memories alone, right?"

He stood up confidently and nodded. He then said, "Also, Yahan."

She looked at him expectantly and gave a simple, "Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

She turned to him and asked, "What for?"

He narrowed his eyes in self-loathing and said, "For...for hitting you earlier."

Her eyes widened some before she dropped into a smile and said, "Don't worry about it. I've been hit much harder by much bigger people. And besides, I know it only happened by accident because of your grief."

He gave a small smile and said, "Thank you," before he wrapped her hand in his, eliciting a slight blush on her dark skin, as he reached for the knob, twisted it, and opened the door.

* * *

Naruto had just arrived at Izumo Inn and as he walked in he saw Ino and Kusano playing in the living room. Ino planting a flower seed in a pot of soil as Kusano would concentrate and use her powers to make it grow.

Ino gave a thumbs up and said, "Way to go Ku! You're getting better!"

Kusano giggled happily as Ino rubbed her head in a happy manner.

Her eyes then began to water as she wrapped the younger blonde in a heavy hug as she squealed, "OH! You're just so gosh darn cute!"

Kusano patted her back and squeaked out, "Big sis, can't…breathe." The little girl then passed out as Ino held her by the shoulders and shrieked.

"Gah! Ku! Ku! Wake up!" she shrieked as she shook the little girl's shoulders.

Naruto just chuckled as he walked in and said, "Getting along?"

Ino sighed as the little girl came to and said, "Yeah. I'm helping her control her powers."

Naruto nodded and said, "Good. Hey, where's Miya?"

Ino pointed to the backyard and said, "Out back, she's sparring with Musubi."

"Sparring, why're they doing that?" he asked.

Ino shrugged and said, "From what I saw, Musubi saw Miya training and just started going at it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Right. I'll see if she can talk."

Ino nodded while she played with Kusano.

* * *

Naruto reached the back of the house and saw Miya and Musubi's "training" which mostly consisted of Musubi charging blindly at Miya, getting nowhere; then trying and failing to guard attacks from Miya, but getting welts on her head from Miya's wooden blade.

The two stopped when they heard chuckling.

"Ah, Naruto!" Musubi said happily before getting whacked on the head. She rubbed her head and moaned.

Miya said kindly, "I thought already told you Musubi, don't look away from your opponent under any circumstances."

Moaning again, Musubi, "Right Miyaaa."

Naruto waved Miya over and said, "Hey, Miya! Can I talk to you?"

Miya raised an eyebrow but nodded and told Musubi, "Why don't you take a break while I talk to Naruto?"

Musubi nodded happily.

Miya followed Naruto and asked, "So, what do you need?"

Naruto nodded and said, "I need a favor. I know I really shouldn't but I-"

Miya stopped him with a hand and said, "Don't worry, what do you need me to do? As long as it's within my power I'll do my best."

Naruto grinned happily and said vigorously, "Thanks! Right! I'd like to know if you'd be willing to house one of my teammates."

Miya nodded and said, "Of course. As long as their able to pay I've got plenty of spare rooms."

Naruto smiled and said, "Thanks Miya."

Miya giggled and said, "Of course. So, who might this teammate be?"

Naruto answered, "It's Sasuke. The council took away the Uchiha district. I'm not sure why he specifically asked to stay here, but if I know the council then they probably did that as a way to try and subject him to the CRA."

Miya frowned and said, "I know about that law. It is a rather barbaric law."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. Sensei taught me about it since I'd basically be the heir to the Uzumaki clan at some point. I can sort of understand what the Second Hokage was thinking but the last thing I'd want is to be forced to marry four women I didn't love."

Miya hid her mouth behind her sleeve and said deviously, "I suppose that isn't a problem you need to worry about, hmm?"

Naruto just sweat-dropped and said, "I'm not going to answer that."

Miya returned to her normal state and said kindly, "I'm happy that you care so much about your friends. Your Sekirei have a good Ashikabi."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said with mild embarrassment, "Ya think so? Thanks Miya."

She simply nodded as she returned to training with Musubi and thought, '_He truly is similar to Takehito. I wonder…no, I doubt it._' She shook her head of the thoughts as she resumed her training of Musubi.

Naruto ran out the front of Izumo Inn and began jumping across the rooftops, searching for Sasuke.

* * *

He soon found him and Yahan wandering around the village, but he noticed something was different.

First was Sasuke's outfit. His normal blue shirt, white shorts and leg and arm warmers were gone. He wore a dark purple, high-collared blazer with a black t-shirt underneath, a necklace with the Uchiha crest hanging from the bottom, dark green pants with his kunai holster and wraps underneath that on the left leg. The last thing he noticed was a long black chokuto at his waist with a long, flat scabbard and handle that appeared like one long stick with a dip in the middle that ran its length.

The second was that as Sasuke and Yahan walked, rather than Yahan walking slightly behind him and a few paces back, she walked right next to him rather close by. He didn't know what had happened between them in the Uchiha district but figured it was something positive.

He jumped down to the ground and waved at them and said, "Yo Sasuke, got a minute?"

Sasuke noticed Naruto walked over and nodded, "Sure. What'd Miya say?"

Naruto grinned and then said, "Long as you can pay it's fine."

Sasuke nodded and pulled out the MBI payment seal and said, "I have this so I'll be fine."

Naruto nodded and said, "You know how to get there?"

Sasuke nodded and said, "Yes. But we might as well head there now."

Naruto nodded and went back up to the rooftops with Sasuke and Yahan close behind.

* * *

They arrived rather quickly and Naruto said, "Just talk to Miya and she'll tell you which room to use."

Sasuke nodded and they followed Naruto inside.

When they entered Ino took notice and said, "Hey Sas-whoa!" She jumped in surprise and asked hurriedly, "When did you get the wardrobe change?"

Sasuke examined his outfit and said, "Just a little while ago."

Ino tried to make herself look demure and said with a wink, "I like it."

"Inooo," Shiina whined.

Ino sighed and said while rubbing her head, "Heheh, sorry Shiina."

Sasuke saw Miya and walked over and said with a bow, "Thank you for letting me stay here."

Miya smiled and said, "Of course. If you'd like, I'll show you to your room."

Sasuke nodded and began to follow but was pounced on by Yahan who said happily, "I've got a better idea. How about you just stay in my room?"

Sasuke blinked in surprise and then turned to Miya.

"As long as you follow my rules I won't argue," Miya said.

Sasuke turned slightly blue and nodded weakly, he had become keenly aware of Miya's rules due to his visits to the inn.

He then followed Yahan to her room in the inn and they began setting up.

* * *

Naruto then came over to Miya and asked, "Hey Miya, do you enough energy left to do a little more training with me?"

She nodded and said, "Of course, just get your training sword and we'll begin."

Naruto nodded and his sword appeared in a puff of smoke.

The two then headed over to the backyard and Miya began by saying, "Okay, take the normal kenjutsu stance."

Naruto nodded and did as she said.

She looked him up and down and said, "Very good. You need to make a few adjustments. First you need to loosen you rear facing leg more and straighten the other. Next you need to bend your arms some more."

Naruto listened to her suggestions and made the adjustments she told him. After that they began with the basic swings before she decided he was adequate enough and moved on to more complex moves and stances.

Soon enough Naruto made multiple shadow clones that started training alongside him. He and his clones trained with Miya for nearly an hour before everyone heard a scream and the clones dispelled.

* * *

Naruto and Miya ran inside to find Ino laying against the wall with a shocked look while Kusano sat on the floor puzzled.

Naruto looked between them and then asked, "What happened?"

Ino pointed at Kusano and said weakly, "I-I-I…"

"You what?" Naruto asked.

"I just winged Ku."

Nearly everyone face-faulted and Naruto said, "S-seriously?"

Ino nodded weakly and said, "Uh-huh."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, I guess that means you've got two."

Ino jumped up and grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "I JUST WINGED A LITTLE GIRL!"

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Uhm, sorry?"

She then proceeded into a full glare and punched him straight in the face, sending him flying out the door and into the hallway.

Miya appeared behind and said in her extremely sweet voice, "Ino. You know the rules, don't you?"

Ino's blood ran cold as Miya's infamous hannya mask appeared behind her. This one a red mask with a heavy scowl and a feudal lord's hat. Miya then said sweetly, "For violating my rule, you go without dinner."

Ino sighed and said, "Rats."

Naruto meanwhile sat in the hallway twitching.

Immediately after that, the doorbell rang.

Naruto looked up from currently prone position, kicked his high up, planted his feet on the ground and straightened himself up and said, "I'll get it!"

He approached the door and got quite the surprise. Standing in front of Izumo Inn's was none other than Sakura Haruno, with a travel sack on her bacl. He blinked in confusion and said, "Hi Sakura. Why're you here?"

Sakura sighed and said, "It's a long story."

Homura, who was standing next to her, said, "It started after the training in the Forest of Death."

* * *

_Sakura and Homura were flanking the others of the returning group from the forest._

_Homura could feel Sakura's uncertainty through the bond and asked, "Sakura, what's bothering you?"_

_Sakura jumped slightly then turned to him and said with a fake smile, "Nothing, nothing!"_

_Homura narrowed his eyes and said, "Sakura, I'm your Sekirei. You can't hide your emotions."_

_Sakura sighed and said, "Well…it's my folks. Remember that blow up I had this morning?"_

_Homura nodded and said, "Considering half the village heard, yes I remember."_

_Sakura's shoulders slumped and she said, "Right. You see…I'm not sure what'll happen when I go back."_

"_And you're worried about the results of what might happen," he finished._

_She nodded and then asked, "Hey Homura?"_

_He said, "Hm?"_

"_Will you come with me? I'm pretty sure I don't want to face them alone," she asked._

_Homura smiled kindly and said with a nod, "Of course. You're my Ashikabi, so it's my duty to protect you. Even if it is from your parents."_

_Sakura laughed and said, "Thanks."_

* * *

_ The two split from the group and returned to Sakura's house, where she walked up to the door and twisted the knob. When she realized it was locked she sighed and mumbled, "Guess they're not home."_

"_Still want me to follow?" Homura asked, placing a hand on her shoulder._

_She turned to him and nodded. She then unlocked the door and waited for her parents to come home._

* * *

_ It took several hours but they eventually came home and Sakura tensed, but eased up when Homura gave her a small morale boost._

"_Don't worry, if things go absolutely awful you'll have somewhere to go," he told her._

_She returned a soft smile and said, "Thanks Homura."_

_She took a big breath and walked into the kitchen._

_Her mother turned to her and said scornfully, "Oh, look who's home from their trip with the demon."_

_Sakura scowled at her and said, "Mom, you're wrong."_

_Mebuki scoffed and said, "What? About what? That _brat_ being a demon? Hardly."_

_Sakura glared and shouted, "No! You're wrong!"_

_Kizashi, her father, glowered and said, "Sakura! Don't use that tone with your mother!"_

"_But you're both wrong! Naruto may have been a pain with his pranks and a bad student, but it's your fault! Everyone treats him like garbage for no reason!" she argued._

"_That boy is a demon! Because of him our village was nearly destroyed!" Mebuki said then froze as she caught herself._

_Sakura also froze and said, "What?"_

_Kizashi looked at Mebuki and said, "Mebuki, that's against the law!"_

_Mebuki seemed repentant at first but then hardened and said, "I don't care. Maybe if she knows what he did she'll realize the kind of monster he is."_

_Sakura clenched her fist and shouted, "There is nothing Naruto could have done to make you hate him this much!"_

_Mebuki shouted back, "If you're so enamored with the demon then why don't you just move in with him!"_

"_I just might!" Sakura shouted back. Then she flinched as what she said hit her._

_Mebuki just glared at her._

_Kizashi tried to diffuse the situation but Sakura took off to her room before he could say anything._

_Sakura walked in and simply started crying._

_Homura sighed and walked over and hugged her, allowing the pinkette to simply cry into her shirt._

_After several minutes Sakura asked, "Homura, can I live with you for a while?"_

_Homura pulled away some and just nodded and said, "Yes. You pack your things and come with me. I'll explain the situation to Miya."_

_Sakura nodded and wiped some of her tears while she began packing up._

* * *

_ In the kitchen Kizashi sighed and said, "Honey, I think that was a bit too far."_

_Mebuki simply scoffed as her eyes wavered and she said, "That girl simply can't understand. That boy is a monster. How can she not see it?"_

_Kizashi rubbed his wife's back and said, "She's only a kid. She'll eventually see what the truth is."_

_ Sakura finished packing up the belongings she wanted, mainly clothes, and then looked at Homura and said, "Alright. I'm ready."_

_Homura nodded and moved to the door but Sakura stopped him. He turned to see her hanging her head as she said lowly, "I really don't want to confront them again."_

_Homura nodded and said, "Right." He opened the window and Sakura jumped out onto the nearby rooftop with Homura following close behind._

* * *

That led to Sakura and Homura standing outside the front entrance of Izumo Inn.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well…I can't say much else but that sucks. Homura, want me to tell Miya?"

Homura shook his head and said, "No, I'll do it. Sakura has some questions for you anyway."

"Questions?" Naruto said. He turned to Sakura and she nodded. He nodded in return and said, "Come with me, I have a feeling I know what you want to know."

She nodded and followed him to the living room.

* * *

The three went in and Sakura moved to the long table in the middle and Naruto got Homura's attention before he left, "Hey Homura."

The flame Sekirei turned to him and asked, "What's up?"

"Think you could round up the others? I want to tell them too," Naruto said.

Homura nodded as he moved through the shoji screen.

Naruto sat down with a sigh and said, "If you don't mind waiting, I'll tell everyone at the same time."

She simply nodded solemnly in response.

Naruto frowned at her response as he waited.

* * *

After a few minutes Sasuke, Yahan, Homura, Miya, and Naruto's Sekirei entered the room.

He looked around and asked, "Where're Ino and the others?"

"They're not here, Ino's gone shopping," Miya answered as she assumed her spot at the head of the table.

Naruto nodded and began by asking, "How much does everyone know about the Nine-Tails attack?"

Musubi put a finger on her chin and said, "Not much. I don't think I had been born yet."

Taki nodded and said, "I had already gotten out of MBI before it happened. I heard about it by word of mouth but didn't know anything beyond that."

Toyotama said, "I was in the adjusting phase just like Musubi. _I_ was smart enough to check the few news reports MBI didn't take perfect care of but all I heard was that one of the hidden villages was attacked."

Uzume shrugged and said, "Sadly I was in the same boat as Toyotama and Musubi."

Akitsu said, "Ah…ow." She paused as Naruto lightly chopped her on the head then said, "I was still being adjusted too."

Tsukiumi said haughtily, "I hadst almost completed my adjustment, although I prefer not to discuss such…events. I was aware of the Nine-Tails however."

Yahan nodded and said, "I wasn't old enough to remember at the time."

Homura said, "I was here when it happened. I actually saw the damn thing."

Miya smiled and said, "Unfortunately I was not here when it attacked. But I would ask that you don't inquire what I was doing at the time; it is improper for a housewife to speak of such things."

Naruto sighed at some of the responses but accepted most. He then turned to Homura and said, "That means you fought it right?"

Homura shook his head and said, "No, I was still masquerading as a civilian. But I do know one thing. Moments before it attacked there was a large plume of smoke, similar to what you shinobi call a summoning jutsu."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well, I know that you two know just what was in the history books."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded in unison.

"I also assume that most you believe in the popular lore that the Fourth killed it?" he asked.

They all nodded, most in confusion.

"But he did kill it, didn't he?" Sakura asked.

Naruto shook his head and said, "No. Something like that can't simply be killed. The tailed beasts aren't actually creatures made of flesh and blood. They're massive amounts of chakra bound by a conscious will. So even if a tailed beast's entire body were destroyed it would simply regenerate after a certain period of time. The only way to truly make them unthreatening is to seal them."

Uzume tilted her head and asked, "Seal? Like in a sealing scroll?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "There isn't a scroll in existence powerful enough to hold back a tailed beast's chakra. The only way to seal it, is in the body of a human."

The reactions varied among the listeners. Miya remained stoic and graceful as always; Homura's eyes narrowed; most of the others' eyes widened. A few who hadn't made the connection simply looked confused.

Musubi was the first to ask, "So who did he seal it inside of?"

Homura face-palmed as the others smiled uncomfortably.

Naruto smiled softly, expecting that from Musubi. "He sealed it inside of me, Musubi."

Musubi's eyes widened as she realized it.

"So what thou art saying is that the village hath hated, scorned, ostracized, attacked, and abused thee, assuming that thou and the Nine-Tails art one? How asinine," Tsukiumi gibed.

Naruto frowned and answered, "Pretty much."

"Then why?"

Naruto turned to Sakura, who had asked. "Why what?"

"Why would you protect, or not even hate in the least people like that? I saw the way my mother thought of you, and I doubt the thoughts of anyone else would be much different. Don't you hate them?" she asked in complete confusion.

Naruto smiled and said, "No, I don't. They're just scared. The Nine-Tails nearly destroyed the village and killed a lot of good people."

"_**I told you it wasn't my fault,**_**"** Kurama commented.

'_I know that. But this is enough of a surprise as is to explain that part,_' Naruto responded. "Because of this the people were rightfully terrified of it. Then they heard, and believe, the Fourth Hokage had killed it. Then they're told that he didn't kill it, instead he sealed it inside somebody. Unfortunately most people don't understand how sealing jutsu. So not only is something they're afraid of involved, but a ninja art they don't know the workings of. As a result, they feared me at first because I thought I _was_ the Nine-Tails in human form. But after I didn't attack the village they changed to believing that I was biding my time, waiting to attack. So then they're fear turned to hatred as they saw killing me to be a solution to the Nine-Tails problem."

Everyone took in the information and processed it.

Toyotama was the first to speak up, "So you're saying that the village hated you and tried to kill you, and you know the reason is because of misplaced fear and hatred and you still don't hate them?"

Naruto nodded and responded, "No, I don't. It's because of their fear, even if it is of me, that I want to protect them. I want to protect them, and show them that I am me, not the Nine-Tails. Then, I can lead the village as the Hokage, and no one else will be treated like me, ya know!"

Everyone listened to him and Miya spoke first this time, "That's quite the ambition. That's also quite warm-hearted of you."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head abashedly and said, "Thanks Miya."

Uzume and the others nodded in agreement as Musubi said, "That's so sweet Naruto! Right! I know you'll do it Naruto!"

Tsukiumi smirked and said, "Whilst I believeth that such an ambition is foolhardy, I admire thy determination. So be it, I shalt support thee as well."

Taki said with a finger on her chin in a false attempt to be demure, "I'll help too. Then when you're Hokage I'll give you plenty of heirs."

Naruto just laughed uncomfortably.

"I'll be on your side the whole time, and I'll make certain anything in your way is broken," Toyotama said confidently with her blade in hand.

Uzume made a fist pump and said, "Don't forget about me, I'll make sure you're never bored!"

"And I shalt keep thy mind focused, as well as fulfill all of the roles a proper wife should," Tsukiumi said with a light blush.

Naruto smiled at her and felt a hand on his forearm.

He looked over to see Akitsu who said, "And I…will be by your side as your Sekirei."

He smiled as his eyes began to water from everyone's support.

Musubi was the first to notice this and said, "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto wiped his eyes on his sleeve and said between sniffs, "It's…nothing. I'm just…just…"

"Not used to this kind of moral support?"

He turned in surprise to see it was Miya who said that. He dropped into a content smile and said with a nod, "Yeah. Thanks guys."

"Hn, don't forget about us loser," Sasuke added with a smirk. "At least until I kill Itachi I'm stuck with you guys, so at the very least I can make sure you don't screw up to bad. Besides, if you become Hokage I can bribe you into letting search for my brother."

Naruto blinked in surprise before laughing loudly and saying with a close-eyed grin, "You bet Sasuke! And I'll make sure you keep your legion of fans."

Sasuke grumbled and threatened half-heartedly, "Don't push it."

Sakura herself was amazed at how Naruto was able to act that way despite having a life filled with such hatred. She also began to realize something else, Sasuke and Naruto were still leagues ahead of her. So she decided in that instant she'd need to step up her training to catch up. She then nodded and said, "I'm not quite sure what I can do to help, but I'll make sure to whack you if you do anything too stupid."

Naruto smiled weakly and said just shaky, "Aaaah, thanks…I think."

"Ahh, I can't take it!" Taki said happily as she glomped the blonde shinobi.

Tsukiumi and the others shrieked as she shouted, "Gah! Remove thyself from my husband hussie!"

Taki proceeded to mash the blonde's head between her cleavage before looking at the water-wielding Sekirei and sticking out her tongue.

This resulted in the blonde getting even angrier as she condensed water and shouted, "Water Celebration!"

Both Taki and Naruto were subsequently swamped by water.

Taki got off the blonde and groaned, "Awww, I love this dress!" She then noticed Naruto's reddened complexion and looked at herself. Tsukiumi's attack had the side effect of thoroughly wetting her white dress. She then smiled deceptively and said, "Now I love it even more."

Tsukiumi screamed and was about to attack again but suddenly both she and Taki received intense blunt pain to the tops of their heads.

Rubbing the sore spot they turned to see Miya holding a ladle and tapping it much like a warden would a baton as she said, "Now, now. You two know the rules against violence and lewd actions. Taki, you lose the next three meals."

"WHAT!?" the mist user shrieked.

"And you Tsukiumi, lose dinner," Miya said.

Taki glared at Tsukiumi, who put a hand on her hip and snorted superiorly, due to her lessened punishment.

"Ah, ah, ah. You also instigated this Tsukiumi, so you lose the privilege to sit next to Naruto for the next five meals," Miya said teasingly.

"NO!" she shrieked in disbelief.

"Now, Naruto. Why don't you go take a bath? You are already wet," Miya said. "When you're out I should have finished dinner preparations."

Naruto nodded as he examined his outfit and said, "Yeah. I'll be back then."

* * *

Naruto gathered his necessary clothing and moved to the bath.

* * *

Unbeknownst to him, a specter followed his movements with a dangerous grin.

He opened the door to the bath and walked in, disposed of his wet and dirty clothing, and placed his clean garments in a basket.

He entered the bath proper and sunk his body into the steaming water and sighed in relief. With a goofy smile he said, "Nothing beats a good old fashioned steam bath."

"Why don't I wash your back?" a perverted female voice asked.

Still oblivious due to his amazing comfort he responded, "That'd be grea…hold on."

He turned and nearly shrieked from what he saw.

A young woman with long red hair with two long side plaits, red eyes that were hidden by the perverted glint in her large round glasses. Of course, that isn't what Naruto noticed. What he noticed was the fact that she stark naked aside from a towel that kept the most important things hidden.

He pointed at her while asking worriedly, and holding his nose, "Who the hell are you?!"

Grinning she said, "No. 02 Matsu, and your newest Sekirei."

"What!?" he said as he stood up in shook.

Looking at him, Matsu's face turned a deep red as her perverted grin grew cartoonishly large.

Naruto followed her gaze and proceeded to cover himself and shouted, "Would you get out!? I'm trying to bathe!"

Matsu giggled perversely and said, "I knooww~I'd like to help. After all, to be winged I need your DNA, so give me a taste of your thick, hot DNA."

Naruto paled and instantly realized she wasn't referring to the normal winging process and shouted, "THAT'S IT!"

* * *

Hearing the ruckus almost all of the Inn's patrons ran towards the bathroom, one in particular almost certain what was happening.

Then a voice shouted, "Wind Style: Divine Down Current!" What immediately followed was Matsu being shot out of the bathroom at high speeds by a burst of wind, smashing through both bathroom doors and through the opposite wall.

The looked into the bathroom to see Naruto with his hand outthrust, panting. He then threw out his arm and shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Matsu simply laid in a pile of rubble giggling perversely.

The others looked back at Naruto, resulting in most of the women blushing while Sasuke and Homura looked disgruntled.

Naruto blinked in confusion, then looked down. Before hopping back in the bath with a shriek, shouting, "GET OUT!"

Naruto's Sekirei, aside from the all-too innocent Musubi, passed out as their noses seemingly exploded.

Sakura felt herself conflicted as she tried to purge the image from her mind, then collapsed from her own blood loss.

Sasuke's fist shook in jealousy as he said, "Must be a result of the fox. Yeah, that's it." He then slumped his shoulders as he thought, '_This still sucks._'

Miya managed to keep herself under control and said, "My, my Naruto. How many rules you've broken. You've exposed yourself, you've attacked a housemate, and you even destroyed part of my house. It seems you'll need to get food elsewhere for the next month, and I expect you to repair my bathroom."

Naruto glared and said annoyed, "Your punishments would be more convincing if you weren't blushing."

"What was that? You don't want any meals for the next month and you want to pay an extra two hundred ryo for the next two months to pay for repairs? My, my, you are a generous one aren't you?" she said tauntingly.

Naruto grumbled and said, "Me and my big mouth." He sighed and said, "I'll do all of that, but…COULD YOU ALL LEAVE!?"

Miya giggled innocently as she and Musubi dragged the unconscious bodies of Naruto's other Sekirei and Homura grabbed Matsu, placing the towel over her so she wasn't any more exposed than needed.

* * *

Naruto managed to finish his bath and leave.

As he approached the door Miya said, "Ohh, where might you be going?"

Naruto sighed and said, "I can't fix anything without supplies. And since _I_ can't buy the supplies I need to wait for someone else to do it. And since I won't be getting fed here I'm going out to Ichiraku's. Though I would like to ask you something, who the hell was that?"

Miya sighed and said, "Remember how you postulated someone else lived in the house?" Naruto nodded and she said, "Well that person is Matsu. She mainly acts the house's security system." A dark aura appeared around her as she said, "She also acts as our resident perverted peeper."

Naruto sighed and asked, "I assume you won't tell me why she's hiding like a mole?"

Miya shook her head and said, "That's something that you'll need to speak to her about. Oh, and Naruto," he turned to listen as she spoke, "I personally believe you just might succeed at your goals. Though you may want to learn to control your beastly urges."

Naruto grumbled and said, "Matsu pounced on me, I didn't ask for that."

Miya simply giggled as she returned to the house.

Naruto just sighed and left.

* * *

Shortly after leaving he took notice to something following him. He peered over his shoulder and sighed. What was trailing him was a rock. A square rock with two holes in the front that wriggled like a worm as it moved. He simply tried to ignore the poorly disguised rock as he walked but found it extremely difficult to do so.

Eventually he sighed heavily and said, "Konohamaru. You're failing at this. Your rock sucks and I'm a sensor type, so you couldn't hide if you tried."

The rock then released a bright white light before exploding in a loud blast of smoke. He then heard several people coughing. Five people then jumped out of the smoke.

First was a boy with short brown hair and big round glasses with an eternal runny nose that wore a black long-sleeved shirt and blue pants with a pair of green goggles on his forehead. He stood facing the left with his arms crossed and shouted, "I'm Udon! I love algebra!"

Second was a girl with short orange hair tied in two high pigtails with red marks on her cheeks and had a similar pair of green goggles on her head. She wore a sleeveless purple vest over a violet t-shirt with a layered skirt and thigh-high boots. She stood on the right with a hand on her hip pointing off to the distance and said, "I'm Moegi, the sexiest kunoichi in preschool!"

Next was a teenage girl who had short blonde hair and green eyes that was wearing a short purple dress with puffed shoulders and thigh length stockings. She made a pose with her left hand on her hip and her right hand in front of her right eye in a sideways 'V' and said with a mild blush and obvious expression of discomfort, "I-I'm Natsuka, and I like to fight~"

The fourth person was a similarly aged girl with short brown hair tied into a small ponytail with a blue ribbon and had amber eyes. She wore a halter top shirt that hung low on her shoulders with a white strip of fabric that went around her, just above her chest and just below her shoulders while the rest of the shirt had thick purple and black horizontal stripes, along a short pleated white skirt and short stiletto heeled sandals. She made a mirrored pose to Natsuka with her hands switched, and seemed much more comfortable being silly and said, "I'm Hari and I just love my little cushion!"

Lastly was Konohamaru who stood in the front of the group with his arms crossed, he also had his helmet replaced by the green goggles Udon and Moegi wore. "And I'm Konohamaru."

All five said in unison, "And together…we are the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!"

Naruto clapped slowly and said, "That was a cool entrance, but a little too much gunpowder. Also, who are they?"

Konohamaru said, "These are my friends Udon and Moegi!"

Naruto nodded and said, "I assumed that, you're all the same age. I was asking about them."

Konohamaru looked at them and they became worried and Konohamaru tried to figure out a lie.

Seeing as all three looked uncomfortable Naruto decided to sate his curiosity in code, "You're Konohamaru's birds, aren't you?"

Konohamaru was confused but Natsuka and Hari caught the reference immediately and nodded.

Naruto gave a sly grin and said, "Wow Konohamaru, to think you'd already start 'winging' at your age."

Now that Konohamaru understood and said with a 'V' sign, "You bet boss! Now we can compete since we have the same number of Se-er birds, right?!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Sorry kid, you got a little catching up to do."

"Really? How many do you have?" Konohamaru asked.

"Naruto grinned put up his hands to display the number as he said, "Six."

"Six! No way!" Konohamaru said in disbelief.

By this point Moegi and Udon were completely lost and just looked from Konohamaru and Naruto and back. Though they stayed silent as the two conversed.

Konohamaru then got a devious glint in his eyes and said, "I know how I can beat you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Go ahead."

Konohamaru pointed at the blonde triumphantly and said, "I've got the ultimate jutsu! It even beats grandpa Hokage!"

Naruto smiled and thought, '_I think I know what it is. This is going to be interesting_.'

Konohamaru then formed a hand sign and shouted, "Sexy Jutsu!" A puff of smoke erupted around Konohamaru as he was quickly replaced by the visage of a rather skinny, almost too much, naked woman who asked seductively, "What do you think boss?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Not bad. Too bad I came up with it first, plus you've got a few errors in it." Naruto then thought,'_I sure am glad none of my Sekirei are around, then they'd kill me. It's probably dangerous to use this at all, but to help the next generation of super ninjas, I'll put myself in harm's way._' He formed the transformation hand sign and shouted, "Sexy Jutsu!" With a puff of smoke Naruto was replaced by a blonde haired girl with long blonde hair in two pig tails that reached to her waist, along with his distinctive whisker marks, and had basically a body only a Sekirei could hope to achieve.

Konohamaru looked and said breathlessly, "Whoa! Mine needs some work!"

Naruto's transformation ended as a pair of fists pounded into his skull.

A voice said angrily, "Hey bud, what's the deal transforming into a naked version of me you pervert!?"

Naruto turned slowly to see two girls who were unfortunately for him very similar to his Sexy Jutsu. They both had long blonde hair tied into two long pigtails that reached their waists, albeit the hair was lighter in color and the pigtails thinner Naruto's transformation but still seemingly similar enough to piss them off. The both also wore black dresses with vertical yellow stripes that had diamond shaped cutouts just above their breasts with thigh-high black boots. Although the one on the left had a tighter fitting eastern style dress and a whip in hand.

The one on the right had a distinctly looser western style dress with a pleated skirt, she also had a slightly different whip which had multiple thin strands with weighted ends rather than the single strand of her apparent sister.

Regardless, both dresses were tight enough to display their midsections that were both flat and toned. Naruto also took quick notice of their very annoyed expressions. He scurried up to a nearby wall and said worried, "Look, this isn't what you think! That was just a…custom jutsu I came up with when I was little. It's only a coincidence that it happened to resemble you two I swear!"

The one with the multi-headed whip narrowed her eyes and said, "Why should we believe a pervert?"

"Because, I swear it's the truth! I haven't even used that thing in a long time, so there's no way I could've based it off the two of you!" Naruto was quickly starting to know how peeping toms felt when they were caught. The only downside is that he hadn't even done any peeping to balance this out with.

The one with the single-stranded whip folded her arms and sighed. She then turned to her sister and said, "Hey, Mitsuki, you think he's telling the truth?"

Mitsuki put her hands on her hips and said, "Maybe Mitsuha. His expression does seem different from that of the usual discovered pervert."

Naruto felt a slight wave of relief and said, "How about this? I buy you lunch and you eat as much as you want?"

The two whip users thought for a moment then looked at each other and nodded. Mitsuha pointed at him and said, "Alright, deal. But if we ever see you using that jutsu again you're dead."

He nodded vigorously as he led them to Ichiraku, the only place that would serve him any food.

* * *

In a nearby alleyway, a young blonde girl with a Sekirei crest on her shirt was being chase by an older man with a perverted grin. She turned down a corner to escape but found it to be a dead end. She turned around fearfully as the man inched closer, his demented grin growing as he muttered what he was planning to do to her. But as soon as he got within fifteen feet, a bolt of lightning hit the ground.

He looked up to see a dark-skinned woman with short silver hair, her face hidden behind a small eye mask that obscured the color of her eyes and most identifying facial features. She wore a tight blue one piece top that had a yellow Sekirei crest just above her impressive bust with a pair of fitting blue pants that went into her knee-high high-heeled black boots. She also had shoulder length black gloves and completed the look with a dark blue cape that reached her ankles.

A cloud formed below her as she floated to the ground and hopped down, her heels clicking as she stepped. She stuck out a hand and said calmly, "I suggest you leave this girl alone, or you will be punished."

The man licked his lips and said, "I'd love for you to punish me babe."

The woman narrowed her eyes under her mask and said proudly, "Consider yourself judged. Receive your punishment from the Storm Sekirei!" Air and water swirled around her outstretched hands as it formed into multiple ice spears.

The man realized how much trouble he was in and took off, though not before being hit in the arm by one of the ice spears.

The woman sighed and turned to the cowering Sekirei with a smile and said, "You're safe now. That man won't be forcibly winging you."

The young Sekirei stood up and said with a bow, "T-thank you."

The woman nodded away from the alley and said, "Why don't you get going?"

The girl nodded readily and took off.

Air began to swirl around the older Sekirei and she took off with it propelling her.

* * *

**And that's chapter seventeen! I'd really like to know what people think of the revelations in this chapter, the events, and who you guys might think the Storm Sekirei is. It'll be revealed soon enough but your opinions are still appreciated.**

**Anyway, like I said my requests for OC Sekirei and Sekirei/Ashikabi combos are closed. I've decided on all of the pair ups in the story, and I'm certain a few will surprise you guys.**

**Some mostly good news, after the filler arc (Since it isn't part of either the Naruto or Sekirei canon and is completely original I call it filler even though it's vital to the story) I'm currently on we will finally begin the Chunin Exams Arc. I have some big changes and surprises planned for that arc that I'm just itching to write down so be patient. This current arc shouldn't last longer than one or two chapters.**

**Well that's it for this chapter so read, review, and wait for future chapters. Bye!**


	18. More Training and Foxes

Chapter XVIII

**And now here's chapter eighteen. Hope the wait wasn't too bad.**

**ncpfan-Probably. But the money isn't an issue since he has limitless access to MBI's funds and he keeps storage scrolls with enough food to feed the Allied Shinobi Force for about a week. I had tried to use the punishment other ways, but the punishment wasn't too harsh until he made that jab at her blushing. I think I already answered the other questions, and of course I love long reviews.**

**Markus-Antonius-Just wait to see how that turns out. :) As for the council, yes they are a group made almost solely in fanfiction but it's an extremely useful group plus it makes for a nice focal point in terms of who hates Naruto. Plus it means I can do stuff like the Uchiha district without Hiruzen being a dick. I try to keep the bashing to a minimum but who knows. Plus any bashing I do is part of the story. And thanks for the lengthy review.**

**Jose19-Yes, that's something I took into consideration with this. I simply don't like Sasuke giving in to his hatred like that so I decided to give him something that can overpower it, the bond with a Sekirei. And I agree, canon Sasuke is a piece of dirt. The only reason I tend to like Sasuke so much is his raw power and the potential we see in him before the chunin exams screwed that up, and more specifically Kishimoto. I am on your side with that last part, if that proves to be how Naruto will end I'm certain my head would explode from pure rage. I think Sasuke could've been redeemed somewhat if he had come to help with the only goal being protecting the village. The whole Hokage part was just dumb. But it seems Kishimoto makes a lot of dumb decisions when it comes to Sasuke. Love the long review too.**

**blue-hart-Shhhh, spoilers! Thanks, I think.**

**Strife666-Well...he won't their still Mikogami's, but that's for down the road.**

**Gojira Maniac-He never did wear it. He's been wearing his part two outfit the entire time. I can't say anything about his sensei because it's an integral part of the story.**

**Exanime Draco-Thank you, hilarious was the intention. He will, just not yet. Plus in case you forgot, both Taki and Uzume have perverted sides as well. I like that, that could work for other developments later on. Since this isn't technically spoilers, you're wrong. It's been specifically stated that Naruto's sensei was a man, and the Storm Sekirei is most certainly not a man.**

**That looks like that's it for the reviewer responses. A lot of long ones and I just love 'em. Long detailed reviews are what I strive for. now let's get to what you guys are really here for.**

* * *

Minaka sat in his office examining his information on the different Sekirei and Ashikabi. Then his door opened and a person entered. He looked up and said with a grin, "Ahh, Ichinomi, good to see you."

A young man with short brown hair, blue eyes, wearing an elaborate suit with white shirt and black tie underneath entered with a content, and obviously fake, smile on his face. "I understand you wanted to see me?" he asked.

Minaka stood up and said with a nod, "Yes. I wanted your opinion on some of the new Ashikabi."

Ichinomi nodded as Minaka turned his monitor around, displaying the images of five new Ashikabi. Three of which were Team Seven. His eyes landed on one specific photo and his eyes narrowed deceitfully. He nodded and said, "They seem good. Though there is one I'm intrigued about."

Minaka raised a curious eyebrow and motioned him to explain.

Ichinomi pointed to the image of Naruto.

Minaka grinned and said, "Amazing isn't it? Who'd have thought a Jinchuriki would gain six Sekirei in a record time?"

Ichinomi responded with a close-eyed smile and said, "True, though his status as a Jinchuriki is what intrigues me most. Don't you think he would make a good Executioner?"

Minaka chuckled and said, "Perhaps. But something tells me he wouldn't agree to it. You see, he doesn't seem to like me very much. But that simply makes it more interesting as the player attempts to use the game master's game against him to take him down. It will be interesting to see what he does. It will increase the suspense, don't you think?"

Ichinomi simply nodded with a smile as a voice called, "Hey, you done in there?"

Benitsubasa walked up to the door with an impatient expression.

Ichinomi turned and said, "I'm actually just finishing up." He turned back to Minaka and said with a bow, "I will be taking my leave then."

Minaka nodded as the man and his Sekirei left. He then turned to his back window as it converted to a large screen displaying live feeds of several Ashikabi.

* * *

Naruto sat in Ichiraku Ramen with Mitsuha and Mitsuki, his face contorted in shock in confusion.

These two just each ate more than he could ever dream, and yet the two of them still possessed a figure that's seemingly impossible under normal circumstances. Having a curious suspicion Naruto sent out a small pulse of chakra to test theirs and discovered the reason. The two of them were in fact Sekirei. He realized that made sense and he now wished he knew that when he offered lunch.

Eventually he heard Mitsuha give a relieved sigh as she turned to Naruto and said, "Thanks, that was great."

Naruto nodded and said, "Sure." '_Sure am glad I transferred some money from my MBI seal to Froggy before I left,_' he thought as he shook his frog wallet, nothing coming out.

"So, what will we do now?" Mitsuki asked.

Naruto blinked in confusion and asked, "What?"

"You didn't really think food alone would be good enough did you, Mr. Pervert?" Mitsuki asked as she poked his cheek.

He sighed and asked, "Well, I'm limited on what I can do."

Mitsuki put her hand on her chin and said, "How 'bout shopping?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "That won't really work."

Mitsuha raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why's that? You poor?"

Naruto grunted and said, "I have plenty of money thank you very much."

Mitsuki leaned on the counter and rested her head on her hand and adopted a playful smile. "Oh really? You some big time ninja or something?" she asked as she flicker his headband.

Naruto returned her playful smile in kind and said with mock conceit, "As a matter of fact I am."

"If that's so, then why can't you take us shopping?" Mitsuha asked.

Naruto smiled and said, "That's a bit of a secret."

The twins frowned but Mitsuki smiled and said, "Let's at least try!"

Naruto sighed with a smirk and said, "Sure, I guess it's worth a shot."

The twins gave a unified "Yes!" and lead him out of the ramen stand.

* * *

The twins first took him to a clothing shop so they could try on clothes on his dime but they became confused when the cashier refused to service him.

"Hey! What's the big deal!?" Mitsuha shouted, more out of annoyance that she couldn't buy her clothes rather than Naruto being insulted.

The cashier huffed and said, "We don't serve _beasts_ like him."

Naruto waved off the insult and said to the twins, "Come on, we won't get anywhere here."

Frowning the twins nodded and returned their choices of clothing.

This pattern continued for the next hour before Naruto looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late, why don't we call it a day? Sorry I couldn't get you guys anything."

Mitsuha shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it. It was at least fun dragging you around, sorry they treated you like that."

Naruto waved off her apology and said, "Don't mention it, I'm used to it, they always do that. I just ignore them."

Mitsuha frowned but then smiled and said, "Well we have to get going too. But…Naruko was a pretty good attempt. Keep up the hard work and she might be as pretty as us."

Naruto just blinked in confusion and nodded dumbly.

Mitsuki chuckled and said, "Ya know, if we didn't already have one you'd make a good Ashikabi. Hope you find some of your own soon."

With that they took off, leaving a confused Naruto as he thought, '_Ashikabi? So they've been winged. I wonder who._' Sighing when he found his head in too much pain to think deeply he returned to Izumo Inn.

* * *

He returned to the inn as the sun fell behind the Hokage monument. His return was not kind as he expected as the first thing he was confronted with was an enraged Tsukiumi.

She had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face as she asked bluntly, "Where hath thee been?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Miya wasn't going to feed me so I needed to get some food somewhere else."

Uzume popped up from behind Tsukiumi's shoulder and said playfully, "We could feel your emotions today. Mind explaining who you were with?"

Naruto smirked and retorted, "I do actually. Anyway, have you guys eaten dinner?"

Tsukiumi, and Matsu who was nearby, slumped her shoulders and said, "Nay. Miya hath refused both me and Matsu nourishment for this meal."

Matsu nodded and said with a pathetic smile, "Yup. No grub for Matsu."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Then it's probably a good thing I grabbed these."

They both raised eyebrows in confusion as he walked in and opened a storage scroll, revealing the contents to be bowls of Ichiraku ramen.

The two Sekirei looked at the dishes with watering mouths and Naruto said, "I figured you two wouldn't really know where to go to get food so I got this." He turned to Miya and asked, "I assume feeding them food that's got nothing to do with you is alright?"

Miya nodded and said, "Of course."

Homura then turned to Miya and asked quietly, "Don't you think Naruto's punishment was a little harsh?"

Miya giggled and said just as quietly, "Not at all."

Homura sweat-dropped at easily she said that.

Then Miya continued, "Naruto has spent most of his life fending for himself and having to watch his back. He never said it out loud but coming here to Izumo Inn where shelter, food, and warm water are just given to him has made him noticeably uncomfortable. Plus he needs an excuse to go to his favorite ramen stand now and then."

Homura then said, "I was also asking about the money part."

Miya laughed innocently and said, "He usually pays me with the money slip he has from MBI. So I see it as charging Minaka, not Naruto."

Homura sighed and said, "Well, that's one way to look at it."

"I suppose it is. That, and shaking things up is the way he usually acts. Constant stability may be what Naruto needs, but it drives him crazy," Miya said with a slightly lost expression.

Homura blinked in surprise before falling into a lopsided smile and saying, "Geez, even in the way you punish him you look out for him."

Miya nodded and said, "Yes. I owe an old friend that much."

"Old friend? Who might that be?" Homura wondered aloud.

Miya brought her sleeve in front of her mouth and said, "Oh no, it is improper for an old housewife to reveal her secrets."

Homura simply sighed amusedly before yawning and saying to Sakura as he walked by, "I think it's time we get going to bed, don't you? Kakashi will be starting up your missions again tomorrow."

Sakura nodded and said goodnight as they left.

Though Miya gave a parting comment, "Now don't you two do anything lewd, I wouldn't want to kick you out."

The two blushed and said in unison, "We wouldn't!" They then turned to each other in surprise, which led to deeper blushes as they receded to Homura's room.

Miya simply giggled as the door shut. She then turned to suggest Naruto goes to bed as well but stopped in surprise as he had already fallen asleep on the table. She giggled to herself and said to his Sekirei, "Why don't get him to bed?"

They nodded and Uzume hoisted him up in her veils as she and the others proceeded to their room.

Miya took notice of Matsu still sitting in the room staring at the door they just left through and asked, "Something on your mind?"

Matsu jumped slightly before turning to Miya and saying, "No, nothing at all." She immediately got up and ran upstairs.

Miya simply smiled to herself as she went to her own room.

* * *

The next two days went by uneventfully as Team Seven performed simple D-ranks, most of which they accomplished in record time thanks to their Sekirei. Kakashi took notice of several things during that time. First was Sasuke's severe wardrobe change, as well as his improved interactions with Naruto and Sakura. He also noticed Sakura's changes, mainly how her obsessive behavior towards Sasuke decreased greatly; to the point she even bickered with him on occasion. He also took notice of how she seemed to carry herself less as a teenage fangirl and stood more confidently, the way one would expect a kunoichi to act.

That didn't mean either had become perfect. Sasuke still argued with Naruto quite often, and Sakura would often take Sasuke's side during these arguments unless it was impossible to ignore that he had started it. Sakura was also stuck in some girlish tendencies, especially when it came to missions that caused the whole group to get dirty. She still completed the mission but her discomfort with the situation was evident.

* * *

Naruto awoke one morning before a day his team were to train and noticed two things. First that it was still dark, meaning it was earlier than he normally woke. Second was the extra weight on his body. After maneuvering to see what it was he sighed when he saw it was his bathroom attacker, Matsu.

Utilizing a quick and silent escape jutsu Naruto stretched and decided to use the extra time for training. Specifically something he had been working on since they returned from the Land of Waves.

He walked out to the backyard and opened up a scroll and unsealed the contents of one seal. Out of it came the same special kunai he helped train Sasuke and Sakura with. A long, tri-pronged kunai with a wooden handle that had special markings along it.

He looked at it with a lost expression before he walked near to the yard's large tree and placed it in the ground. He then walked over to the deck and formed a half-ram sign. He started flowing chakra to the kunai. For several seconds he felt nothing, then a slight pull on his chakra towards the kunai. He felt a slight shift but then nothing again.

He dropped his hand and sighed. Then said, "It's still not working. What am I doing wrong?" He then seemed to spark an idea and said, "I got it!" He then sat on the porch and closed his eyes and concentrated.

* * *

After only a few seconds he found himself in familiar surroundings. The ankle deep water, ceiling pipes, and pale wales of his subconscious wherein Kurama was contained.

He didn't need to walk far to find the fox's cage.

Kurama was busy sleeping when he showed up.

He said to the sleeping giant, "Hey, Kurama."

Kurama peeped open a single eye and asked, **"Ahh, Naruto. To what do I owe this honor?"**

Naruto ignored the blatant jab and asked, "Think you could answer a question for me?"

The fox turned its head towards him with narrowed eyes and asked with slight annoyance, **"And what would those be?"**

Naruto winced slightly from the tone in Kurama's voice and then asked, "I want to know how much you know about my dad's jutsu."

Kurama narrowed its eye and said with a slight nostalgia, **"Ahhhh, the Flying Raijin Jutsu. I remember it well. However I can't answer a question that vague."**

Naruto mentally slapped himself for that slip-up and said, "R-right. I want to know if you know how it works."

Kurama nodded and said, **"I do. And right now, you can't use it."**

Naruto sweat-dropped at its bluntness and asked, "Mind clarifying?"

Kurama smirked and said, **"It's a space-time jutsu. You only have the remedial understanding of the art that comes from storage scrolls. You'll need more experience and understanding of it to properly use the Flying Raijin."**

Naruto folded his arms and mumbled, "Well…that's a problem. I don't know any more complex space-time ninjutsus."

Kurama tapped the cage and said, **"There is one."**

Naruto attempted to hide his excitement at the prospect but his slight twitching betrayed that attempt. "W-what is it?"

Kurama said plainly, **"The Summoning Jutsu."**

Naruto's adopted a flat expression as he deadpanned, "Oh that really helps. I'll be sure to find Jiraiya of the Sannin and ask him for the Frog Contract. Sorry but I don't have a summoning contract."

Kurama nodded and said, **"There is one possibility."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Kurama opened its mouth and pulled out a large scroll and placed on the floor.

Naruto's eyes widened as he pointed at the scroll and asked, "I-is that?"

Kurama simply nodded.

Naruto's eyes widened further before they narrowed in suspicion as he asked, "Why?"

"**Why what?"** Kurama asked, knowing full well what he meant.

"Why are you willing to give me the Fox Contract? Nobody else has received it right? So why me?" Naruto asked, certain that Kurama was trying to trick him.

Kurama frowned and said, **"Simple. Out of all the humans I've met, and all the jinchuriki I've had the displeasure of being sealed inside, you are the least insufferable. You are one of the few humans who has seen me as more than just a tool or a monster. I respect you slightly more than the usual fleshbags. So at the very least I will give you this much."**

Naruto was still suspicious but didn't see another option for the Summoning Jutsu. He nodded and the scroll shrunk in a puff of smoke and Kurama tossed it through the bars, allowing Naruto to catch it. He unrolled it slightly and saw that all the spaces were empty except one, but the name was written in symbols he couldn't read. He bit his thumb and wrote his name in blood on the first empty space. He looked up at Kurama and asked, "So, what's next?"

Kurama nodded and the scroll floated back to him, followed by him swallowing it again and saying, **"You go back to the waking world and try to someone one of the foxes. I can guarantee it won't be me."**

Naruto chuckled weakly and said, "I'd hope not. That couldn't end well period. So, how do I apply this to the Flying Raijin?"

"**Simple, you study and understand it. You try to understand the specifics of the Summoning and then apply it to the kunai. That's all I really remember from your old man,"** Kurama said plainly.

Naruto nodded and said, "That's more than enough." He then gave a big grin and said, "Thanks Kurama!"

Kurama snorted and said, **"Don't get used to it brat."**

Naruto laughed as he left and said, "You know you love me!"

Kurama simply snorted. He then looked in a random direction and said, **"Quiet."**

* * *

Naruto woke back up to see that the sun was peeking over the mountains. He then noticed someone nearby and turned to see Miya standing behind him.

He turned fully and asked, "Need something?"

She simply smiled and asked, "Were you two speaking?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion then realized what she meant and nodded with a small smile.

She looked out to the yard and asked, "So, you're going to take on your father's legacy?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. Sensei actually showed me to one of his old hideouts, allowing me to access everything he had there. That's how I learned about who he really was, and how I learned about the Rasengan and the Flying Raijin."

Miya laughed lightly and said, "This sensei of yours sounds like a good man."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yup. Sure was."

Miya then asked, "How much do you know, about the jutsu?"

Naruto folded his arms and said, "With my dad's notes and Kurama's new info I know the basics. I haven't managed a successful jump, or a jump at all, yet. So I need to do some practice but Kurama gave me the basics for the jutsu."

"And those would be?" Miya asked.

Naruto wondered why she was so curious but decided to humor her, "The Summoning Jutsu."

"He gave you the Fox Summoning Contract?" Miya asked in light surprise.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. All I need to do now is try and understand it so I can properly use the Flying Raijin."

"Any ideas?" she asked.

Naruto finally couldn't take it and asked, "You rather curious aren't you?"

Miya laughed behind her sleeve and said, "I have a reason. But I suppose I'll get to the point. An Ashikabi who has proper chakra control can utilize the Sekirei like a summoning contract. By concentrating your chakra you can summon your Sekirei to your position."

Naruto's eyes shot wide and he said, "I didn't know that!"

Miya put a finger up to her lips and said, "Everyone else is still sleeping."

Naruto immediately slapped a hand over his mouth and then chuckled uncomfortably. After a moment he removed his hand and said, "I really didn't know that."

Miya gave a lightly surprised expression and said, "I figured you, being a ninja, would have discovered that at some point while experimenting."

Naruto laughed and said, "You'd think. But I'm only a genin, I'm not really at the level to start experimenting with brand new jutsus yet."

"And yet you're trying to learn the most famous jutsu of one of the most famous men in the Leaf Village," Miya said pointedly.

Naruto chuckled at the obvious irony and said, "Well when you put it that way… Anyway, when the others wake up I think I'll try that out. That could be most useful if they're in danger. Then I can just summon them to my position."

Miya smiled kindly and mumbled to herself, "Of course, the first way you'd think of its use is to help others."

Naruto turned to her and said, "You say something?"

Miya shook her head and said, "No. Don't worry."

Naruto sighed and then went back to his training as she left. He briefly thought about how entertaining talking with her is before attempting the fox summoning.

* * *

Roughly an hour later Matsu found her way downstairs and saw Naruto out in the yard training. By this time he had begun training on his own with shadow clones trying to learn a special kenjutsu style. That wasn't the only thing that drew her attention though. As a result of the morning heat, Naruto had since abandoned both his jacket and his mesh armor, leaving his torso completely bare. She found that to be highly engaging as well.

He and his clones stopped in the middle of a series of moves when they heard light clapping. All of them turned to see Matsu standing in her normal outfit, a light pink cheongsam dress with detached sleeves and a diamond cutout above her breasts.

He and his clones took it in stride and proceeded to bow, this resulted in Matsu staring blankly for a moment before breaking out in laughter.

Naruto straightened up as his clones disappeared in bursts of smoke. He then asked as he put his mesh armor and jacket back on, "Enjoy the show?"

Matsu nodded and said pervertedly, "Yes, and it makes me want to be winged more."

He sweat-dropped and said, "I see. But you really didn't leave a great impression by jumping me in the bath."

Matsu dropped her shoulders and said uncomfortably, "Well, let's just say I have...impulse control problems."

"I'll say," he deadpanned. He began to do some post-training stretches as he said, "Anyway, it won't be today because I've got to go train with Kakashi and..."

All of the words faded from her mind as she watched him stretching, drool escaping her mouth before she knelt down and pounced; pinning him to the ground.

"Gah!" he shouted as he fell back. "W-what are you-" his words were cut short as Matsu claimed _his_ lips, one of his first Sekirei to do so. He noticed the eminent honey taste as cybernetic-looking wings emerged from her back, banding at specific joints rather than the usual fluid motion.

As she sat up with a satisfied smile she asked, "What was that about not winging me today?"

Naruto's brow flattened as he said plainly, "Not. Fair."

She stood up and said as she blew a kiss, "All's fair in love and war."

He simply grumbled as he gathered his things to meet with Team Seven.

* * *

Just as he walked in Sasuke and Sakura were preparing to leave.

He waved and said, "Perfect timing."

"So it seems," Sasuke said as he slipped on his shinobi sandals.

"So, leaving already? You two get to eat breakfast though," Miya said playfully as she met them at the door.

All three sweat-dropped and Sakura said, "It's alright. Naruto always brings extra food along with him so we'll just eat that."

Miya nodded and said, "Good luck today."

The three genin nodded and said their goodbyes as they ran out the door before leaping to the rooftops.

* * *

Right as they left an ear-piercing screech was heard as Tsukiumi stood in the doorway enraged. She then shouted, "HOW DARETH THEE LEAVETH WITHOUT SPEAKING FAREWELL TO THY WIFE!"

Miya looked at Tsukiumi with a sweet smile and said, "Tsukiumiii."

The blonde Sekirei froze and turned slowly to her and mumbled, "Y-yes?"

A dark shadow enveloped her as she said, "I'd like to ask that no such screeching is done within Izumo Inn. Do you understand?"

Tsukiumi nodded fervently before disappearing into the dining room.

* * *

The three soon arrived at training ground seven to find it vacant as normal. Deciding to spend the three hours it would no doubt take for their sensei to arrive the three began their own training.

Sakura began her strength training by activating the resistance seal tags Naruto had given her, causing her movement to become slow and strained as she forced her muscles to compensate.

Sasuke decided to train his chakra reserves by attempting to coil one of training ground forty-four's leaves completely with his lightning chakra.

Naruto formed a small group of shadow clones and relegated them to a single task each. One clone focused on kenjutsu, one focused on chakra control, one started to study on sealing jutsu, specifically the intricacies of the summoning jutsu. Another worked on taijutsu, specifically learning and mastering a combination of his father and his sensei's fighting styles; an effort that was proving possible but precarious. One last clone focused on studied on the practical side of sealing jutsu, mainly making different tags and seals on his kunai. The original Naruto focused on his strength training.

Kakashi, who was hidden in the trees nearby, watched his team with pride. Each member was training efficiently and in ways that ultimately promoted them to work together. Seeing how his team had grown since it was formed brought a smile to his face. This smile turned to a confused one followed by his body freezing when he saw one of Naruto's clones making Flying Raijin kunai. '_I-impossible. He couldn't have learned it already…could he?_' He would ultimately remain unanswered as Naruto didn't practice the jutsu since he hadn't learned how to use it.

* * *

After giving his students proper time to train, and himself proper time to read, he snapped his book shut and teleported to the field in a burst of smoke.

What he was presented with was a sweating Sakura whose body was starting to get accustom to the resistance level, Naruto and his clones who were involved with their own endeavors, and Sasuke who was busy working on his twenty-second leaf, trying to get it to fully crumple immediately but still stuck at two to three seconds.

Realizing his students hadn't noticed his presence, Kakashi coughed into his hand. Resulting in Naruto turning and his clones dispelling, Sasuke losing concentration and accidently burning the leaf, something that intrigued him, and causing Sakura to lose her balance and fall flat on her face, twitching on the ground.

Kakashi sweat-dropped before giving a single clap and saying, "Good to see you guys hard at work."

The ravenette simply sweat-dropped before standing and going over to help Sakura up, but stopping when she managed to lift herself up and deactivate the tags, followed by placing them in her tool pouch.

Naruto joined the group and Kakashi decided to begin the day's training.

"Alright. Today, we work on more team building exercises," he said with poorly phoned-in excitement.

The three genin moaned followed by Sakura saying, "Come on sensei. We've got sufficient teamwork skills, we need real training."

Kakashi responded with, "True. But it seems you're getting sufficient 'real training' on your own."

Naruto put a hand on his head and said, "Maybe, but the lone training of a few genin, even ones of our level, can't compare to the training of a full-fledge jonin." Naruto hoped stroking Kakashi's ego a little would get him to give in. It didn't.

Kakashi eye-smiled and said, "While I appreciate the praise Naruto, teamwork is the most important thing to a group of shinobi. A few unskilled genin working in perfect synchronization can take down a few highly skilled chunin who don't work well together."

"So, what? You're just going to keep training us with team building exercises perpetually or until we meet your nondescript expectations?" Sasuke asked with folded arms.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and thought, '_Interesting. Sasuke never once said 'I'. He referred to 'us' the entire time. Is he really starting to consider Naruto and Sakura his teammates rather than merely attendants?_' Kakashi then sighed and said, "Alright, ya got me. Just this once I'll give you combat training."

The three genin grinned happily at this revelation.

"However," Kakashi began, worrying the trio, "everything I'm going to teach is still team-based."

Naruto laughed and said, "As long as it's actual combat ready stuff I'm good. How about you guys?"

His teammates nodded in response.

Kakshi then said, "Now before that I need to gauge each of your strengths so I can best determine what areas you need work on."

They nodded in return.

He continued, "To do this, I'm going to give you something akin to the academy graduation exam, except more extensive. Instead of just focusing on the basics like they did, we will focus on the three main schools of shinobi combat: taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. The first thing I'm going to test is your taijutsu skill and individual physical strength. Then I'm going to test your array, complexity, and proficiency with ninjutsu. Finally I'm to see how easily you can catch and break a genjutsu as well as how well, if at all, you can cast one."

The three genin accepted this with a nod.

Kakashi nodded as well and said, "Right, first up is you Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and walked towards his sensei.

"You can use any taijutsu style you wish, and be sure to attack with full strength. Also, weapons are permissible," after he finished, Kakashi caught Sasuke's smirk.

Sasuke reach into his jacket and grabbed ahold of his chokuto, pulling the blade from its sheath in a reverse grip before twirling it into the proper hold, then swinging it down into the ready position.

Kakashi's eye widened as he thought, '_T-that's! That's a Kusanagi Blade! So, Sasuke must have retrieved that from the Uchiha district's armory._' Kakashi nodded and equipped the Leaf standard chakra blade, infusing with his own chakra as an immaterial blade made of blue energy formed around the dagger-like blade before expanding and extending to the size of a normal sword. "Whenever you're ready."

Sasuke nodded and lunged forward, bringing the blade to bear in a horizontal swing.

Kakashi blocked the swing with his blade, but hadn't counted on just how much strength Sasuke had gained since the first time they sparred and had to readjust his stance and force or face begin knocked off his feet.

When Kakashi decided the stalemate was getting nowhere he lunged out with a wide kick that Sasuke hopped back to avoid before he charged back at Kakashi.

Sasuke gave a downward diagonal swing and Kakashi parried with a horizontal swing from the opposite direction, causing the blades to bounce off one another in yellow and blue sparks. They swung back in with opposite horizontal, diagonal, then vertical swings before Sasuke lunged with his hand, grabbing Kakashi instead of hitting him. He attempted to throw the copy ninja but Kakashi instead grabbed Sasuke's arm, pivoted himself and tossed Sasuke to the ground with his chakra blade at his throat.

Kakashi eye-smiled and said, "Not bad. Your swordplay is pretty good, and you know how to use it well enough for a genin, though your ability to focus on things beyond your opponent's sword could use a little work." As he released the ravenette he added, "Your strength is impressive though. I'd say your physical strength is on par with a low to mid chunin."

Sasuke smirked as he sheathed his blade.

* * *

Kakashi then turned to Sakura and said, "Alright, next."

Sakura nodded happily and went over to where Kakashi was and got into a taijutsu stance.

"Pure taijutsu, huh? Alright, this oughta be interesting," Kakashi said wistfully as he stowed his blade.

Sakura smirked at him, resulting in him adopting a slightly confused expression before getting ready.

The moment he said go she took off, surging at him not so much with speed as much as power.

He brought his hands into an 'X' guard but his eye shot wide when her fist collided with his and sent him skidding along the ground.

"W-what the!" he manage to force out before Sakura ducked under him and launched an uppercut that he blocked placing his hands over hers and propelling himself over and behind.

Sakura merely smirked as she launched into a rotating kick.

"Oh boy," Kakashi deadpanned as her heel collided with his face, causing him to bounce along the ground before sliding to a stop.

He stood up nursing his injured cheek and said, "Well…I wasn't expecting that. I can't say much for your taijutsu style, mainly because I didn't get time to see it, but I can say that your physical strength is monstrous for a genin. At least high chunin."

Sasuke and Naruto stood on the sidelines agape, both think the same thing, '_When did she get that strong!?_'

Sakura simply cheered to herself as she rejoined her teammates.

* * *

Kakashi went back to his spot and sighed before mumbling, "I can already tell this won't end well." He then spoke clearly and said, "Alright Naruto, deactivate whatever restrictions you've got and come at me in full force."

Naruto shrugged and said with a dopey smile, "Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

He walked over to join his sensei for sparring and assumed a taijutsu stance.

One Kakashi recognized instantly as the Fourth's. Seeing how the stance was still imperfect but still well balanced told him that Naruto was at least moderately well versed in the style, which didn't bare well for his face.

Kakashi assumed his stance and gave the signal to go.

At which point Naruto surged forward, only to have his strike blocked easily. He saw Kakashi with a serious expression as he said, "You won't have as easy a time as they did. Unlike with them, I've assumed it bad luck to underestimate you."

Naruto smirked and said, "Good." He picked up his legs and spun, using his captured hand as a pivot. He then swung his right leg down, smashing it upon the silver-haired jonin, who caught it and tossed the blonde.

Naruto used a quick burst of chakra from his hands to flip himself upright and land safely as he slid. Kakashi was immediately upon him with a fist prepared to strike.

Kakashi lunged forward, Naruto blocked the punch and used Kakashi's arm as a way to pull himself forward, combining that with the man's own forward momentum.

Kakashi reacted instantly, planting a foot on Naruto's chest and flipping backwards; the result on Naruto's end being him planted on the ground.

Naruto growled and did a quick flip and spin to right himself and lunged forward, surging chakra from his grounded foot with each step as he weaved side to side, eventually becoming nothing but zig-zagging blur.

Unfortunately Kakashi was skilled enough to keep an eye on him and prepared to grab his charging fist.

That attack turned out to be a feint, however, and Naruto spun around his sensei and surged chakra into his muscles, collected it in his elbow, and rammed his elbow into Kakashi's neck, releasing the chakra in a surge; sending the silver-haired man tumbling forward onto his back.

Kakashi forced his eye open with the pain and then sighed as he realized Naruto had his special kunai at his neck.

Kakashi sighed and strained as he stood and said plainly, "Well, first impressions…ow. Sasuke was the only one I managed to beat, but that's only because I didn't underestimate him as much as I did Sakura. As for Naruto, well the growing welt on the back of my neck shows that he beat me with skill alone. But don't pat yourself on the back too much, I was only fighting at high chunin levels." He was surprised by what Naruto said next.

"I know. I've seen you fight before so I know your abilities are a lot higher than that. If we had fought in a real battle you would've swamped me," Naruto said analytically.

'_So, he's so aware of his own strength that he's even able to tell when an opponent would easily beat him. He seems to be improving at great intervals,_' Kakashi thought with a small smile under his mask. He then coughed and said, "Next is ninjutsu. This won't be a fight like before, instead just a test of your jutsus."

The three nodded in understanding.

Kakashi flashed several hand signs and said, "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Three walls of mud rose from the ground. He pointed to them and said, "Each of you, one at a time, will pick a jutsu and use it on one of the walls. Any jutsu above D-rank will break it and anything above C will destroy it."

They nodded and Sasuke walked forward to go first. He went through several hand signs before placing one hand to the ground in a grabbing shape while bracing it with the other. "Chidori!" he shouted as lightning chakra sparked to life in his hand with a ball of concentrated chakra. Sasuke reeled back then rushed forward, smashing the jutsu into one wall, obliterating it.

"Good work," Kakashi said before motioning to Sakura.

She walked up and went through several hand signs of her own before inhaling and shouting, "Water Style: Water Bullets!" She spat out multiple spheres of condensed water that smashed into the wall, breaking it into chunks.

"Nice work Sakura," Kakashi said with a thumbs up.

Naruto was the next to move up and made a long string of hand signs before taking in a large breath and shouting, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" He exhaled a massive gust of wind at the wall, nearly disintegrating it.

Kakashi responded with a whistle and said, "Nice. Alright, you've all proven you have a great grasp of not only high-rank jutsu but elemental jutsu as well. That alone is worth commendations. Finally I'll test your genjutsu. First by casting a genjutsu on you which you have to break free of and then having you cast a genjutsu on me. I'm going to use my sharingan to cast the genjutsu, that way you won't be able to tell when it happens. First is you Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and walked up to his sensei, who uncovered his sharingan and whispered, "Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu."

The first result was leaves swirling around him. He activated his sharingan and instantly realized the genjutsu, then broke it just as easily.

Kakashi nodded and said, "Just as I expected. It seems you know how to use your sharingan well enough."

Sasuke simply nodded as Sakura took his place. She waited for the genjutsu to occur. For several seconds nothing happened until leaves began swirling around her, causing light confusion.

She then heard a yell of pain and turned to see Homura being devoured by his own flames. It took several seconds but she eventually came to and deciding, and hoping, that this must be the genjutsu she flared her chakra and broke it after less than a second.

She turned to Kakashi who eye smiled and said, "Good. It took you a little longer than Sasuke but that's to be expected; what wasn't was you breaking it _that_ quick. Well, guess you're the last one Naruto."

Naruto nodded and stood in front of Kakashi. He waited for the genjutsu to start when leaves began to swirl, however they instantly vanished.

Kakashi blinked in confusion and tried again with the same results.

Naruto then gave an ear to ear grin and said, "I may have neglected to mention that a jinchuriki that works well with their occupant is immune to genjutsu."

Kakashi laughed uncomfortably as he sweat-dropped.

* * *

Kurama meanwhile, was sitting in its cage with a victorious smirk as its tails swayed behind it.

* * *

Kakashi nodded and said, "Well, now it's your turn to put me under a genjutsu, if you can."

Naruto nodded and said, "Since I'm right here I might as well go first."

Kakashi nodded and covered his sharingan.

Naruto simply stood still before a red aura started wafting off his body.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at what was happening before he saw a massive shadowed creature rise from behind Naruto.

A massive creature with glowing red eyes and nine tails swaying behind it. One of the tails then pointed at Kakashi and the tip began to shift before transforming into a miniature version of the beast's head.

Kakashi placed his hands in the ram sign and said, "Release." He then looked up and froze. It was still there. He simply swallowed and said, "Uh-oh."

The massive creature then reared back a clawed hand and smashed it down on the jonin.

* * *

Inside Izumo Inn, Miya was cooking lunch when she got the sudden urge to pump her fist in the air. She simply put a hand to her cheek and said, "My, my, I wonder what this feeling is."

Behind her, Homura and Uzume sweat-dropped.

* * *

Kakashi lay on the ground twitching as the spectral monster vanished. He sat up and asked, "Was that really a genjutsu?"

Naruto grinned and said, "Yup. It's a special one I copied from Miya."

Kakashi twitched an eyebrow and thought, '_Why is it that she wishes to torture me like this? Oh, my obsession with the Make-Out books might be a reason. Oh well, if it means I can keep reading this is worth it._' He stood up and said, "Well why don't…we…" He trailed off as he saw Sasuke and Sakura passed out by a tree. He looked at Naruto annoyed.

The blonde simply rubbed the back of his head and said with an uncomfortable laugh, "Oops."

Kakashi sighed and said, "Well, might as well wait until the wake up and continue then."

Naruto nodded and went over to the middle of the field and bit his thumb.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he watched him do that.

Naruto then went through a series of hand signs slower than normal and then slammed his hand on the ground and shouted, "Summoning jutsu!" A web of symbols stretched along the ground from his hand before a burst of smoke was released.

Kakashi paid close attention as he didn't remember the blonde getting a summoning contract.

Once the smoke cleared a small dog-sized gray fox with two tails and an eye patch appeared.

Kakashi's eye widened as he thought, '_Fox summoning? When did…must've been the Nine-Tails._' He fell into a soft smile under his mask as he wondered how many more surprises the blonde would show.

The fox looked up at Naruto and asked in a gruff voice, **"So, you're the summoner, eh? Whatcha need?"**

Naruto shook his head and said, "Nothing really, just testing the jutsu."

The fox nodded and said, **"Right. Name's Kurogitsune. You can just call Kurogi."**

Naruto nodded and said, "Nice to meetcha Kurogi. So what are you able to do?"

The fox said proudly as its tails swayed, **"A lot. I mainly fight. I'm able to use limited flame attacks and a nasty, venom-filled bite."**

Naruto went blue and said, "Then remind me not to get bitten."

"**Don't worry. The big guy'll keep that from being a problem. Though I'm curious why the boss gave him the scroll,"** Kurogi said.

Naruto blinked and asked, "Wait, Kurama isn't the Fox Boss?"

Kurogi shook his head and said, **"Nope. He's a chakra entity, not an actual fox. The fox boss is Mae, she's the one that heads the fox spirits. Though it seems she gave the big guy the fox scroll"**

Naruto could almost feel Kurama quiver at Mae's name. He asked, '_Something wrong?_'

"_**Don't ask. Tamamo-no-Mae, I could die perfectly content never meeting that crazy fox again,**_**"** Kurama said a slightly quavering voice.

Naruto gave a devious smile and asked, '_She have a crush on you?_'

His answer came in the form of a loud roar.

Naruto barely managed to suppress his laughter at the new discovery and stowed it away for future teasing.

Kurogi asked with swaying tails, **"So, anything else?"**

Naruto put a hand on his chin and asked, "Does the summoning work both ways?"

Kurogi titled his head and asked, **"What?"**

"I can summon you guys. Can you guys transport me the same way?" he clarified.

Kurogi nodded and said, **"Yeah. It's called a Reverse Summoning. Why do you ask?"**

Naruto smirked and said, "I'm working on a jutsu based off the Summoning Jutsu, I need to figure out the jutsu's intricacies then I can apply that knowledge to mine."

Kurogi nodded and responded, **"Ah, I see. Well I'm not the one you want to talk to then. Let me go back and then use the Summoning again. Then a fox that can help you will show up."**

Naruto nodded as the fox vanished in a burst of smoke. He then bit his thumb again and performed the jutsu again, this time getting a larger burst of smoke.

When it cleared this time a fox about the size of a horse with four tails and yellow fur appeared. The fox looked at Naruto and asked in a female voice, **"So, you're the one curious about the Summoning Jutsu?"**

Naruto blinked in surprise for a moment and then said, "Yeah, and you are?"

"**Mitsuko,"** she said plainly as she sat down to speak with Naruto. **"So, why are you interested in the specifics of the Summoning?"**

Naruto released a sealing scroll and showed her one his Raijin kunai.

She looked at it and asked, **"So, you're the Yellow Flash's son then?"**

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he asked, "How'd you know?"

Mitsuki chuckled and said, **"Boy, that man was famous even in the fox realm. We had all heard he had a son but no one expected it to be Kurama's jailor."**

Naruto frowned and said, "I don't like being called his jailor."

The fox smirked and said, **"Right. Well, I guess we'll start with the basics."**

* * *

Back at Izumo Inn, Ino was sitting in the living room playing with Kusano when the doorbell rang. She stood up and said, "I'll get it!"

She ran over to the door and paled.

Standing in the doorway was an older man with long, spiky blonde hair worn in a long ponytail with green-blue eyes. He wore a grey button-down shirt with grey pants and a black belt around the waist along with a black trench coat.

She looked at the man and said uncomfortably, "Heheheh, h-heeeyyyy, dad."

The man narrowed his eyes and said, "Ino, you've got some explaining to do."

She swallowed nervously and said, "About that, there're a couple problems."

He narrowed his eyes and said, "I already know about the Sekirei. The I&T Division knows almost all that happens in the village."

She sighed and said, "Oh, well then come in and I'll try to explain."

He nodded and said, "Good."

* * *

He walked in and moved to the living room, at which point Shiina froze.

Ino's father raised an eyebrow and said, "You…you're one of her Sekirei?"

Shiina nodded fearfully.

The man sighed and said, "This is getting annoying."

* * *

Back in training ground seven, Naruto was practicing with Flying Raijin Jutsu when Sasuke and Sakura finally came to.

Naruto turned to Mitsuko and she vanished in a puff of smoke. He walked over to the other two and Kakashi said, "Nice of you two to join us."

The two of them groaned and Sakura asked, "What happened."

Kakashi sighed and pointed to Naruto, at which point they remembered the giant spectral demon that appeared behind him.

"Was that supposed to be a genjutsu!?" Sakura shrieked.

Naruto grinned and said, "Yup. It's just not a genjutsu that's cast on someone specific."

Sasuke grumbled and said, "Even my sharingan couldn't break it."

Naruto's grinned persisted and he said, "There are a few that are like that."

Sasuke just sighed and asked Kakashi, "So, Sakura and I go next?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Yup. You'll go first."

Sasuke activated his sharingan, preparing to cast a genjutsu.

* * *

At the Inuzuka house, Kiba sat eating a meal with his own Sekirei when one of the Sekirei he watches over walked over to him.

He turned and swallowed then asked, "What's up?"

The Sekirei with crimson red hair said, "I need some supplies for some…tests. Do you mind if I go and get them?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow and pulled out the MBI slip and unsealed several large bills. He handed them to her and said, "Knock yourself out…uhm…"

"Rias," she said happily as she left the house.

"Right, Rias," he said mindlessly as he continued eating. He then raised his head and asked, "Narashino, has Rias ever done any kind of tests?"

The blonde-haired Sekirei turned and put a hand to her chin. "Don't think so, why?" she asked.

Kiba sighed and said, "She just swindled me, didn't she?"

"Seems like it!" Kujika said teasingly.

Kiba just buried his head in his plate and mumbled, "Dammit. Well, at least it's not my money to worry about."

* * *

Ino's father leaned back against the wall with a sigh and said, "I see. So you've been hiding here to come up with a convincing lie because the rules say if you reveal your Sekirei to those outside the game they'll be taken away? Well secrets like that don't make it past the I&T Division."

Ino gave a small smile and said, "Well I'm sorry I worried you dad."

He nodded and said, "It's alright, this time. You were simply looking out for your friends. But you can come back home now that this has been solved."

She stood up with a nod and said, "Just let me tell Miya."

"There's no need. I already heard it all. Inoichi, I'm glad you were so understanding, and you needn't worry about rent, Naruto's increased payments as punishment take care of that," Miya said sweetly as she walked in.

Ino laughed uncomfortably and said, "I still think you were a little hard on him."

Miya laughed behind her sleeve and said, "Oh? When did you get so compassionate?"

Ino reddened and said, "I was just speaking my mind! Come on dad, let's go."

He gave a lopsided smile and said with a nod, "Of course." He stood up and bowed to Miya and said, "Thank you for watching over my daughter."

Miya simply nodded as the group left.

* * *

As they walked, they saw a Sekirei being chased by another.

Ino focused and then gasped, "T-that's Mutsu!"

Inoichi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Mutsu?"

Ino nodded and said, "He works for the Ashikabi of the South. I think he's trying to capture that other Sekirei."

Inoichi nodded and said, "I may not be involved with the Sekirei Plan but kidnapping is a crime regardless. Ino, you and the others return home. I'll explain it all to your mother when I get home."

Ino lowered her eyebrows in concern and nodded and slowly. She, Kusano, and Shiina then took off.

* * *

Inoichi caught up and saw Mutsu was cornering Rias in an alleyway. He prepared his Mind Destruction Jutsu right before a bolt of lightning struck the ground, narrowly missing the male Sekirei.

Mutsu grit his teeth and said plainly, "I hate lightning."

The Storm Sekirei then descended and said to Mutsu, "What you are doing is unjust. It is wrong to prohibit a Sekirei from finding their true Ashikabi. I implore you to cease this or I will strike you down."

Mutsu simply narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his sword and said, "It is an order from my Ashikabi. I cannot refuse."

"Then you must have a poor Ashikabi," the storm wielding woman said before forming two discs of compressed air and threw them at Mutsu.

Mutsu tapped the end of his sword on the ground, causing a wall to rise up and absorb the attacks; allowing him to leap over it and attack the other Sekirei. He gave a downward vertical swing which was blocked by a wall of ice.

The unknown Sekirei then compressed water in her hands and shot it up towards Mutsu, who managed to dodge to the left, sliding along the ground.

He then tapped his sword against the ground again, this time causing the ground beneath the other Sekireis' feet to fall apart.

Rias jumped into the air while the Storm Sekirei launched herself at Mutsu, sending a punch at him that he blocked, only to be blasted by compressed air that smashed him into a building across the street.

Mutsu sat up and saw that Rias was gone and grumbled before turning and retreating.

Inoichi prepared to interrogate the Storm Sekirei but she was already quite a ways away on a pocket of air. He sighed and said, "This is going to get a lot more complicated isn't it?"

* * *

**And that's the end of that. So what do you guys think about Rias as a Sekirei? Plus, does this give you any other ideas for who the Storm Sekirei might be? Anyway, leave your opinions and suggestions in reviews, the longer the better. I also want to clarify something. A LOT of people are not happy with me not pairing Naruto with Kazehana. Well that simply isn't going to change. However, there will be future Sekirei that effectively fulfill her roles, wind user and mature woman, so you needn't worry too much. And before anyone says anything, I didn't remove Kazehana for these Sekirei, I added these Sekirei because Kazehana is gone.**


	19. Birth of the Thunder God

Chapter XIX

**As White Zetsu once said, "HELLOOO!" I'm back with chapter nineteen and they're just screaming out now. Anyway, it's time for my favorite part, well one of my favorite parts, reviewer responses.**

**gamelover41592: Don't worry, they've seen its fledgling form already and it's only a matter of time until he needs to take out Miya's again.**

**xxBloodyFatexx: Then get a burger?**

**Jose19: I can't say too much here for fear of spoilers. As for an Executioner, Ichinomi suggested it not Minaka; the reason is something that will take time to reveal. Rias is from High School DxD, I'm not very good with OCs and the last one I tried to use was a dismal failure so that's something. Well, just wait and see.**

**ncpfan: I already answered about Rias but as for the Storm Sekirei, just wait and see. Toyotama will get her time, plus that scene you sent me a while back is coming up too.**

**cybresamurai: Why not? I happen to like it, otherwise I wouldn't use it.**

**HolyKnight5: No. Iruka won't get any Sekirei and Rias is the only DxD character I'll be using unless I see substantial reason to use the others.**

**blue-hart: If it's an OC than no, if it's an existing character I may consider it just for comedic value.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: What are you, a pirate?**

**RasenShuriken92: I never once mentioned Akeno even existing in this story.**

**That seems like it for everything I need to do so let's get to the main event.**

* * *

Kakashi finished breaking a genjutsu cast by Sakura and said, "That wasn't bad, but you want to try and practice the hand signs. Making them that slowly won't work."

Sakura nodded and said, "Right, I figured that much."

He eye smiled and said, "I'm surprised you aren't more skilled in genjutsu due to your chakra control."

Sakura sighed and said, "I haven't been taught any."

Kakashi nodded and said, "I think I've got the training plan figure out."

His team assembled in front of him, waiting for his training plan.

Kakashi folded his arms and said, "Right. Sasuke's kenjutsu seems acceptable so I don't need to do too much with that, but I would suggest practicing with the Chidori to try and increase its power."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

Kakashi then said, "Naruto seems skilled in all aspects so I can't think of anything to help you with."

Naruto grinned ear to ear confidently.

Kakashi then looked at Sakura and said, "Your biggest issue is your genjutsu. I'll help you with that part."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said, "Great! I think I'm pretty good on everything else, after all I swamped you."

Kakashi sweat-dropped and thought, '_Right. If only you knew I was fighting only at low chunin level._' "Right. Sasuke, Naruto, why don't you two train on your own?"

The two genin nodded and proceeded to begin their own training.

Kakashi turned back and said, "Alright, I'm going to teach you a few basic genjutsu. To do this I'm going to need to cast them on you."

She nodded and prepared herself.

* * *

With Naruto, he began with his usual producing of five hundred clones and separated their duties. He took a group of fifty to a small clearing away from the rest of the team and told them what they would be doing, starting with summoning Mitsuki.

The fox appeared and asked, **"Naruto, what do you need?"**

Naruto answered, "I want to study the symbols for the Summoning Jutsu and work on my custom version."

Mitsuki smirked and asked, **"So, you've figured out the trick?"**

He nodded and said, "Yeah. If the Flying Raijin works like a variant of the Summoning Jutsu, then copying the summoning seal and modifying it for myself should work."

Mitsuki nodded and said, **"Good work. You perform the jutsu again and I'll make sure no one comes through so you can study the seal array."**

Naruto nodded and performed the jutsu, resulting in the seal array spreading out from his hand. He looked at the array and examined its parts, recognizing multiple parts but not others.

Mitsuki watched him with her tails swaying and asked, **"Something wrong?"**

Naruto nodded and said frustrated, "I'm not quite an adept at sealing yet so I'm not perfectly versed in seal symbols."

Mitsuki pointed one of her tails at herself and said, **"I'm not a master myself, but I know of one."**

Naruto lit up and asked, "Who!? Who!?"

"**That little redhead,"** Mitsuki said plainly.

Naruto thought for a moment and then asked, "Matsu?"

Mitsuki nodded.

Naruto sighed and then said with a shrug, "Well then, what I need to do is obvious. Go back to the inn and have her help me study it."

Mitsuki nodded again and said, **"Also, if you want to keep your studying…private, you can perform the Sealing Jutsu without blood and it will simply form the array."**

Naruto paled and said, "That's probably a bad idea, but something tells me that being alone will be one of her conditions." He then looked at the fifty clones he brought with him and said, "You guys can go."

They nodded and vanished in groups of ten.

He then went to get Kakashi's approval to study at the inn.

"You want to study at the inn?" he asked.

Naruto nodded.

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Just be back here by three and you'll be fine."

Naruto nodded excitedly and took off, leaving his other clones to train.

* * *

Sasuke was in another corner of the field practicing the moves from the special Uchiha-style kenjutsu called the Intercepting Blade. He had managed to increase his reserves enough he could form two clones to do the actual training in the style while he focused on his physical strength.

Unbeknownst to him a figure watched him with a frown. After watching him for several minutes the figure disappeared into the forest.

Sasuke stopped in his training for a moment when he felt like he was being watched but returned to doing push-ups with his resistance seals activated to twenty times normal.

* * *

Naruto arrived quickly at Izumo Inn, approached the front door and was immediately confronted with a frowning Tsukiumi. He blinked in confusion and asked, "Uhm, something wrong?"

Tsukiumi's angry frown turned to a saddened one, an expression that caused Naruto to flinch, and she said, "Thou departed the inn this morn with nary a word goodbye. I wouldst hope that thee sees it of more import to say goodbye to thy wife."

Naruto swallowed nervously and said, "S-sorry, Tsukiumi. I was already kind of late and didn't think about it. But don't worry, I'll be sure to say goodbye when I leave from now on."

This seemed to lift her spirits as she smiled and said, "Good. Now, might I ask why thou art here when thee wouldst most likely be training?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm actually looking for Matsu."

Tsukiumi raised a confused eyebrow combined with a slight pouting frown and folded her arms before pointing to the stairs and saying, "She is currently stowed away in her bunker."

Naruto nodded and, not even realizing it, gave her a quick peck on the cheek combined with a curt, "Thanks!"

Tsukiumi stood in stunned silence for a moment before placing a hand on her cheek and melting into a content smile.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the top of the stairs and looked around and said mindlessly, "Hold on, where is her room?"

He heard a knock on the wall next to him and pushed it with one finger, causing it to rotate open.

Matsu was crouching on the floor and asked, "So, what is it you need from the smart and sexy Matsu?"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and then said, "I was told brain-types are skilled in sealing jutsu."

She raised an eyebrow and then sat up and pointed to her room and said, "Come inside, and I'll answer you there."

Naruto nodded apprehensively and then peered into the room, seeing it to be extremely dark and cramped with only a few spare objects.

He walked in and saw, to his surprise, the physical layout was exactly the same as the other rooms but this one was obviously designed to be hidden. To the left of the rotating door was a simple futon with a few empty boxes of ramen laying across the floor. Along with that were a few books he recognized instantly as the ones Kakashi read all the time. '_At least she has good taste in food,_' he though flatly as he turned to the right and saw a basic dresser and a small fridge. He then noticed the space where the bed would normally go, a small boxy indent in the middle of the back wall, was a curtain with multiple flickering blue lights.

Uncertain of what the lights were he pushed the curtain aside and saw they were computer screens. Seeing them brought back less than happy memories, mainly because the only times he remembers seeing computers is when he was in the hospital after his beatings.

"Naruto?" Matsu called out his name worriedly.

He shook his head and said, "It's nothing. So, what is all this stuff?"

She smiled proudly and said, "This is a special monitoring system I have. We brain-types have the ability to extend our senses outwards in a limited range through the use of special chakra powered orbs that float high above the village. I use them to monitor the other Sekirei and Ashikabi in the village and see what's going on. The monitors are actually powered by special seals filled with lightning chakra so that Miya's energy bills aren't made even higher.

Examining the monitors he was able to see the locations of multiple different Sekirei and Ashikabi. His eyes landed on one name and his teeth clenched while his fist tightened.

A small dot showed the location of an Ashikabi with two Sekirei flanking them. The name above the dot read 'Higa Izumi'.

Matsu followed his gaze and frowned. The events in the Land of Waves were well known within the Sekirei Plan. "Naruto, you still hate him, don't you?" she asked.

Naruto sighed and then shook his head, "No, I don't hate him. I'd be wasting my time and energy hating someone who, in a real fight, I'd trample like a bug."

Hearing the way he spoke made her curl back a little, he almost sounded like he wanted to fight him.

"I…heard about what happened in the Land of Waves," she said somberly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "You did?"

She nodded slowly and said, "It's rather famous within the game. It's the first time one Ashikabi has rewinged the Sekirei of another. It's also one of the few times an Ashikabi has deactivated a Sekirei."

Naruto raised both eyebrows and said, "Deactivated?"

She nodded. "Sekirei can't actually die. Even if we receive fatal wounds, or what would be fatal for a human, our bodies simply go limp and we enter a state of unconsciousness. That state is called deactivation and it has five levels."

Naruto sat down finally and said, "Mind telling me what they are?"

Matsu nodded with a smile and said, "Sure. Level one is the most basic, that's when one Sekirei touches the crest of another recites their chant, deactivating them. Level two is when they receive a severe beating that incapacitates them. Level three is minor wounds that in a human would result in a slow death. Level four is serious wounds that would kill a human quite quickly. Level five is total annihilation. With level fives there usually isn't much of a corpse to recover."

Naruto frowned as he listened and then asked, "How many level fives have there been?"

She gave a sad frown and said, "One. No. 18 Ichiya."

Naruto's blood froze. He couldn't believe that the only deactivation of a Sekirei that resulted in a mutilated corpse was caused by him. That made him angry. Not at Minaka, but at himself for allowing his rage to control him so much.

He suddenly felt something hit his head. He looked up to see Matsu holding a book. Feeling his self-pity and self-loathing she had smacked him lightly on the head with a book.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. I can't say I'm happy at what happened but she deactivated one of your Sekirei, and someone important to you. The fact that made you so angry is kind of cool," she said upliftingly.

Naruto blinked in confusion for a moment and then dropped into a pathetic smile and said, "Maybe, but I shouldn't have let it control me. I try to not let that happen. Anyway, just thinking about it is making my head hurt. So let's refocus on why I'm actually here."

She nodded with a smile as she adjusted her glasses and said, "Hit me."

He nodded and said, "I'm working on a special ninjutsu that utilizes sealing jutsu to be used. I recently figured out what specific seal, or rather seal array condensed into a simplified seal, I need to do it."

She nodded and said, "I assume you're trying to copy your dad's jutsu?"

He gulped and said, "Y-you know about that?"

She nodded and said, "Yup. The actual how isn't important but I know who he is. So since it seems I'm right you need a mass transfer seal that can be condensed into a simplified form that doesn't need to spread out and thus can be placed on an object as small as a kunai so that you utilize it to transfer your mass to it in a more direct and powerful version of the teleportation jutsu?"

Naruto's eyes were star-filled as he said dreamily, "I'm so glad to find someone that actually understands the intricacies of seals instead of seeing them as some weird novelty."

With a haughty chuckled she said, "Of course! We brain-types are based around sealing jutsu. While we may have our own abilities they require an in depth understanding of seals and how to make them to be used."

He nodded and said, "So, I was specifically wanting to use the array for the Summoning Jutsu; if not as the actual seal then a basis for it."

Matsu put a hand on her chin and crinkled her nose in thought as she said, "I'm not sure that's the best idea. The Summoning Jutsu is wonderful for mass transportation but it simply doesn't have the speed necessary. Something based more around space-time manipulation and mass conversion is what you want." She looked up and froze slightly as she saw what she perceived as a glazed-over look in his eyes. She laughed uncomfortably and asked, "Are you…alright?"

He clasped his hands around hers and said seriously, "I just understood everything you just said, you're wonderful."

Matsu felt entire body melting as she saw the intense look in his eyes. She originally thought about pushing him off, but her better judgment was thrown out the window as her natural side took over and she said nefariously, "Then why don't you show me how wonderful I am?"

Naruto instantly went back to his previous spot and said plainly, "Because I'm on a schedule."

Matsu blinked in confusion, looked at her hands, then to Naruto, back to her hands and back several times before becoming slightly disheveled and thinking, '_Man, he sure moves fast._' Coughing into her hand she said, "Well, in this instance the Summoning Jutsu will probably be a good starting point, so why don't we make a copy of the array."

Naruto nodded and performed the Summoning Jutsu hand signs without biting his thumb and the array appeared without summoning a fox. He took out a scroll and began copying down the seal array.

* * *

The process took several minutes with Matsu watching him very carefully for mistakes and nearly fainting when he copied it in one go without a single mistake.

'_He might not be a seal master but his calligraphy is excellent,_' she thought in shock as the seal array disappeared and Naruto placed the copy in front of them.

He began to look it over and then grumbled as he ran into the same problem.

Matsu looked at him and asked, "Don't understand it all?"

He nodded with a sigh.

Matsu responded, "Point to the seals you don't understand and Matsu will explain them."

Naruto stared at her incredulously as he noticed her rather odd slip but ignored and pointed to a few chunks of the Summoning Jutsu seal.

She examined the areas in question and proceeded to explain them. Pointing to one section she said, "All this seal does is clarifies the link, so that this array connects only to the other array of the same type, which is basically whoever it summons. Because you didn't summon anyone this section is simply a basic connection seal that makes it so that is the seal is manipulated it will have some specific effect on the target. This is definitely one you want to keep."

He nodded and copied that specific seal down in a seperate scroll. After finishing he nodded and Matsu pointed to another section on the seal.

"This is a binding seal. I'm not surprised you don't recognize it since it's pretty much exclusive to summons. Within the world of summons there is always the chance that two creatures from different clans will have the same symbol, it's rare but not unheard of. As a result this seal makes it so that only that specific type of animal can be summoned so you don't accidently summon a different summon beast by accident. You really don't need this one since the other seal will be enough," she said normally as she explained it.

Naruto nodded and motioned to another as she explained it. This continued for nearly an hour; Naruto pointing to a section he didn't understand and Matsu explaining it saying whether it would be useful or not and Naruto copying it down based on whether she suggested it or not.

The two of them hadn't realized it but as they were discussing the seal, they had ended up sitting right next to each as Matsu and Naruto moved around to get a better view of what they were looking at.

Matsu had just finished explaining the last part he didn't understand and Naruto sighed in relief. He then turned to thank her but ended up looking down, right at the space in her dress.

Matsu followed his gaze and then gave a sly grin and said, "Sooo, want to examine them in more detail?"

Naruto fell backwards and said frantically, "No! I mean…well…crap."

She crawled over such that she was on top of him, stopping with a slight jolt, causing her breasts to jiggle enticingly right in front of him.

He quickly reddened as he felt his self-control waning fast as his fifteen year old body made its intentions well-known.

She reached down and grabbed his hand and brought it towards her chest, his own body shivering as he realized that a few more seconds and he would do something that would subject him to the wrath of Miya. His salvation came in the form of a splitting headache courtesy of Kurama, causing him to roll onto his side and rip his hand from Matsu's grasp as he grabbed at his head in pain.

Matsu frowned in defeat and got off of him and went back to sitting normally.

Naruto sat up and mumbled, "Owww that hurt."

"_**You can thank me later,**_**"** Kurama said with a light taunt in its voice.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and answered, '_That hurt like hell! But thanks for stopping from doing something I _know_ I'd regret. Just, next time could it be a little less painful?_'

Kurama chuckled and said, **"**_**I spend every waking moment inside your mindscape locked in this cage, I have to amuse myself somehow.**_**"**

Naruto simply sighed and responded, '_Whatever. Just make it hurt less next time._'

"_**That I can do**_**,"** Kurama said plainly.

* * *

Inside its cage Kurama wondered aloud, **"Perhaps I shouldn't have interrupted. Seeing the kind of punishment that demon woman would bestow would be greatly amusing."**

* * *

Down in the kitchen, Miya was chopping vegetables when she slammed the knife down hard enough to embed it in the cutting board. She blinked in confusion before putting a hand to her cheek, tilting her head and saying innocently, "My, my. It feels like someone is badmouthing me."

* * *

Back in Matsu's room, Naruto sighed and said, "While that was a…nice offer. I think what Miya would do to us if we did that wouldn't be worth it."

Matsu adopted a sly expression and ran her hands down her sides and said, "Are you saying this wouldn't be worth dying for?"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and said, "Can we just get back to work?"

Matsu giggled and said, "Sure. So, show me what you've got so far."

Naruto sighed and said pitifully, "Unfortunately all I did is copy the seal I saw in my dad's records."

Matsu bopped him on the head and said, "That's no good. That seal is the result of condensing the actual seal array."

Naruto rubbed his head and said, "I knew that now. Anyway, if I can just figure out what I need to change with the Summoning Jutsu seal array I should be in the green."

Matsu nodded and said, "Well, you could probably take the basic structure and most of the general parts. But you'll want switch out some pieces. Let's start from the middle and work out."

* * *

He nodded and pulled out a large scroll and began drawing seal symbols, staring as a single symbol in the middle and then moving outwards in multiple branches and then connecting those with multiple concentric circles, all made up of small seal symbols.

The whole process, which consisted of making specific groups of symbols to give certain effects, often starting over when they decided that something didn't work and restarting was easier than editing, took about four hours total.

Naruto looked at the current array in satisfaction, both he and Matsu covered in ink, and then looked at her and said, "Here goes." He placed his finger in the middle and flowed a small amount of chakra. The array glowed a dull yellow light before it began to fluctuate as the entire spun slowly and flowed inwards to a single yellow circle with no discernable seals. That circle fluctuated wildly around the edges as if working out kinks before it elongated and shrunk even further and separated into multiple seperate smaller circles that shifted into the same number of different symbols. After a moment the light from the symbols died down and Matsu looked at it in satisfaction while Naruto looked at it in awe.

He pulled out a Raijin kunai, one that was in fact his father's and not his, and compared it. The formula for the seal was almost identical but his had certain distinct differences. He smiled sadly as he looked at the battered old kunai and said, "Well dad, I finally made it." He then pulled out one of his own kunai and copied his formula down, rolled up all of his scrolls and ran down to the yard.

* * *

Naruto reached the yard and held the kunai in his hand looking at it. He then nodded resolutely and tossed the kunai at the ground in front of the large tree, formed a half ram sign and began concentrating his chakra. Again he felt the pull on his chakra like before. But then something different happened, his entire body felt weightless, like he was in a void floating on nothing. Then, he smashed into the tree and slid down, slowly.

"Owww," he grumbled as he sat up rubbing his face. He heard faint clapping and looked to see all of his Sekirei plus Miya standing on the deck. His face filled with emotion before he released a massive face-splitting grin and a thumbs up. He simply laughed triumphantly as Miya looked at him with a slight glimmer in her eyes.

She gave a small proud smile before turning and going back to finish lunch.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off and said, "Well, I better get going." As he walked by he put a hand on Matsu's shoulder and said, "Thanks for the help. I probably wouldn't have done it without you."

She simply nodded dumbly as he ran to the front door and leapt to a rooftop. She then broke into a content smile as she made her way upstairs.

* * *

Naruto arrived back a training ground seven as the last of his clones dispelled and with only minutes before three o'clock. He walked up to Kakashi and Sakura, the latter of which was hunched over sweating.

Kakashi turned and noticed Naruto was scuffed up and covered in black spots. He blinked curiously and said, "You've been busy."

Naruto stared dumbly for a moment before looking over himself and rubbing the back of his head modestly and said, "Yeah, a little."

Kakashi simply narrowed his eye in a part smile as Sasuke, who was even more scuffed and disheveled looking than Naruto or Sakura, rejoined the group.

Naruto blinked in surprise and said teasingly, "You look like you got into an argument with a bear. And lost, badly."

Sasuke rubbed his left shoulder and said, "Shut up Naruto. You look like the victim of a paint bomb."

Naruto laughed and said, "That's one way of putting it! So, what've you guys been up to?"

Sakura, who had taken to sitting on the ground, said exhausted, "Practicing some of the most taxing genjutsus I've ever heard of."

Sasuke shrugged and said, "Practicing my swordplay."

Kakashi eye-smiled and thought, '_Well that's certainly a shift. I can say I never expected them to downplay how much work they'd been doing. It seems even modesty can infect them._' He then clapped his hands lazily and said, "Well, I say we're done training for today. So, how about I treat everyone to a good meal? After you make yourselves look fresher."

The three genin grumbled in annoyance but agreed regardless.

* * *

The trio arrived back at the inn to a chorus of gasps.

They looked up and all of their Sekirei were staring at them in concern. Naruto put up a placating hand and said, "Don't worry, we're just scuffed from training. Well…they are. I'm just dirty."

"Well, on that note I'm going to go wash off all of this grime," Sakura chirped as she made for the bathroom.

"Ooh, I'll wash your back!" Musubi said happily.

Sakura turned back with a slightly blue complexion and said, "Ahhh, I'll be okay."

Musubi frowned and said, "Welll, alright. How about I wash yours Naruto?"

"No," he said bluntly.

"Awww," she said with a pout. She then turned to Sasuke, who responded by turning his head, folding his arms, and the normal Uchiha, "Hn." Her frown deepened.

"If you're bored though Musubi, we could do a little sparring," Naruto suggested.

Musubi's face lit up and she shouted, "Yay!" She ran, grabbing Naruto by the hand and dragging him limply flailing through the air behind her.

"That girl has way too much energy," Toyotama said plainly.

"Well…that's what love can do," the group turned to see Kazehana enter the inn, with company.

Sasuke turned and then said, "Hey, aren't you…Asuma Sarutobi?"

Asuma nodded and said, "Yup. The one and only." He flinched when a flash of light whizzed by his face and cut the end off his cigarette.

Miya stood beside him, her sword in hand, and said innocently, "Smoking is not permitted in Izumo Inn."

"Right, forgot about that," he said calmly as he walked in with Kazehana.

The two of them sat at the table and Uzume asked curiously, "Sooo, are you two an item?"

Asuma simply smiled and said, "That's one way of putting it."

Kazehana wrapped her arms around him and said passionately, "Yes! We're in the beginning throes of true love!"

Asuma simply chuckled uncomfortably and said, "And that's another way."

* * *

Naruto and Musubi stood out in the backyard standing opposite each other.

Musubi got into a fighting stance and said happily, "This is so exciting!"

Naruto chuckled and pulled out a kunai. He then asked, "You don't mind if I try out a new trick, do ya?"

Musubi shook her head and said, "I'd be happy to help you practice it."

Naruto smiled and thought, '_Well, this'll either go really good…or really bad. Hopefully her reflexes have increased enough to dodge the kunai._' "Alright Musubi, get ready!"

She nodded and then charged at him.

* * *

In a large office building on the eastern end of the Leaf Village, Izumi sat in his office examining reports he had just received. He smirked proudly as he read that several of his "employees" accomplished their given goals.

A knock at the door signaled the return of one of his employees.

"Come in," he said evenly.

A woman with short grey hair, dark grey eyes, with a red spot on her forehead and wearing red square glasses attached to a glasses chain, a light purple, frilled kimono with a dark obi and black belt along with arm length pale purple arm warmers resembling sleeves. The woman adjusted her glasses and said, "Higa, Ichirou has returned."

"Good, send him in," Higa said and a young man with short light brown hair, matching eyes and a pale green jacket flanked by two women, both wearing red and yellow kimonos with a wide open chest, revealing their naturally impressive busts, with white sleeves; one with long brown hair tied in a high right ponytail with a blue ribbon and the other with long black hair tied in a high left ponytail with a pink ribbon.

Izumi nodded and said, "Good. I assume you took out the target?"

Ichirou frowned and said, "Yeah, they're done."

"Good, you can leave," Izumi said plainly.

Ichirou grumbled and said, "Come on girls, let's go."

They nodded and followed him.

Izumi smiled confidently and said, "Everything is going to plan. Now, if only I could get the allegiance of one of the other cardinals." He looked out the window in thought, his wheels spinning.

* * *

Back at Izumo Inn, Asuma was sitting at the table eating lunch with the others when Sakura finally returned from the bath.

"Ahhh, that feels much better," she said satisfied.

Sasuke groaned and stood up saying, "Guess I'll need to go next."

As he walked by the back yard he saw something surprising.

Naruto and Musubi were training, technically. What was really happening was Naruto was throwing kunai at her and she blocked them, before Naruto teleported to the kunai and slapped her on the back of the head.

She then turned to hit him but he teleported to his original sport. Rinse and repeat.

He watched curiously as this process repeated several more times until the area was littered with tri-pronged kunai and Naruto seemingly ran out.

Naruto sighed and said, "Thanks for the help Musubi. It's getting more natural to use this jutsu."

Ignoring the growing welt on her head from repeated slaps she said, "Yay! Glad to help!"

He smiled and nodded and then took notice of Sasuke and asked, "Sakura done with the bath?"

Sasuke nodded and looked around and asked, "What're you two doing?"

Naruto twirled a kunai on one finger and said, "Just practicing a new jutsu."

Sasuke nodded again and said, "Yeah, now it's my turn."

"Want me to-" Musubi said excitedly but was interrupted.

"No," Sasuke said flatly, resulting in a pout from the fist user as he went to the bath.

Musubi frowned as Naruto picked up the kunai and said, "Don't worry. You really did help me out."

Musubi's frowned lingered for a moment before she smiled and said, "Glad to help, need to pick up the kunai?"

Naruto picked up another and placed in a weapon storage seal and said, "Nah, I've got it."

Musubi nodded and returned to the house.

* * *

Naruto returned to the house and saw Asuma and Kazehana sitting together and asked, "What's going on?"

"Turns out Asuma Sensei and Kazehana are dating," Sakura answered.

Naruto grinned and said, "That's cool, how long?"

"About a week before you returned," Kazehana said happily, with a light blush gained from drinking.

Asuma nodded and said, "Yup, but…don't tell my team."

Naruto raised an eyebrow but answered with a shrug, "Sure, wouldn't gain me anything if I did."

The group simply sat and talked until Naruto finished his bath and he plus Sasuke and Sakura rejoined Kakashi at the Akimichi Grill.

* * *

The team sat at a table and Kakashi noticed Naruto looking around with a concerned expression. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and asked, "Something wrong?"

Naruto returned a small smile and said, "I'm just…"

"Worried about what'll happen? Well you needn't worry, the clan heads don't see you in the same disdainful way the civilians do. They themselves each have a special skill or ability that causes the civilians to fear or dislike them in some way or another; so they have more sympathy towards you. Plus the Akimichis had a personal closeness to the Fourth and know that he'd want his friend's son to be seen as at least not vile," Kakashi said kindly.

Naruto smiled at Kakashi's misleading speech and said, "Thanks."

Sakura growled and said, "Where's the food? I'm getting hungry."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Don't worry, they'll be here in a moment."

Soon enough a plump woman with short black hair walked up to the table and handed them menus and said, "Sorry for the wait, here are your menus. What will you have to drink?"

"Water," Sakura said.

"I'll take black tea," Sasuke answered.

"Hmm, how about sake for me?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto finished with, "I think I'll be fine with just water."

The woman nodded and said, "Good, your server will be here in a moment."

Kakashi nodded as the woman left. He then turned and asked, "So, what do you think you'll be having?"

Naruto looked over the menu and said, "I think I'll have some pork buns and beef chops."

Sakura nodded and said, "Chicken sounds good to me. Maybe an elves ear salad since I hear it's good for chakra regeneration."

Kakashi nodded and turned to Sasuke.

He just shrugged and said, "I think I'll just have the beef platter."

The team then divulged into random conversation for a few minutes before a woman in a waitress' dress walked up. Naruto looked up when he noticed her and had to do a double take.

She had perfectly chocolate brown skin with short white hair that fell in waves to just below her neck and had bangs covering her right eye, the other exposed revealing them to be a cold, icy blue. In addition she wore magenta lipstick and golden hoop earrings along with her white waitress uniform that was just tight enough to display her rather large breasts. She smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Ororo and I'm going to be your server today."

Kakashi nodded and said, "Well, give her your orders everyone."

Nodding they all gave their orders to her before she turned and looked at Naruto. When she locked eyes with him however she felt something peculiar on her neck but ignored it and asked, "So, what will you have today?"

Naruto nodded and pointed to his desired dishes as he spoke.

Peeling off the slip that held their orders Ororo said happily, "Right, I'll get your orders in and it shouldn't be more than half an hour until they're ready."

* * *

Ororo returned to the back room and handed the cook the order and sighed heavily as she rubbed her neck.

The manager, Choji's mother, asked, "You alright dear?"

Ororo forced a smile and said, "Yes. I'm fine, my neck's just a little sore."

* * *

Back in the main section of the restaurant, team seven sat snacking on the small groups of crackers that are placed at each of the tables.

As Naruto was snacking on one he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Kakashi who asked, "So, mind explaining what you've been up to on your training?"

Naruto nodded and said with a big grin and said, "I finished _it_. It's not perfect yet but it works and the transfer is getting less disorienting."

Kakashi's eye nearly popped out of his head and whistled. "That's impressive." He turned to Sasuke and asked, "How about you?"

Sasuke smirked and said, "I've gotten the Chidori down to three hand signs to use instead of the normal nine. I've also learned to power it up to a larger size."

"What about concentrating it enough to do the Lightning Blade?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke folded his arms in thought and said, "I think I'd rather focus on my own variations instead of the Lightning Blade. I've seen you use it and it's pretty unstable, plus I want to make the Chidori a ranged jutsu as well."

Kakashi smiled under his mask proudly and nodded. He turned to Sakura and said, "I'd say you're getting pretty good at genjutsu. You're not quite perfect at them yet but tell me about your other jutsu."

She nodded happily and said, "I've got four jutsu and I've got Tsukiumi helping me to learn the Water Dragon Jutsu."

Kakashi couldn't suppress a smile that crinkled his eye as he thought, '_I'm so proud. They've each grown exponentially from the feuding children they were at first._'

"Hey Naruto! Those crackers are mine, back off!" Sakura shrieked as she whacked him on the head.

'_Well, mostly,_' Kakashi thought with a sweat-drop.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temple and said, "Could you too keep it down, my head still hurts."

Sakura looked at him pathetically and asked, "What!? How can you say that? He's trying to take my food." Still looking at Sasuke she smacked Naruto's hand as he tried to take another cracker.

Sasuke said with a twitching eyebrow, "Because I don't care."

A momentous occasion then occurred. Sakura became limp in shock, and then glared and did something no one who knows Sakura would expect her to do. She reeled back and struck Sasuke Uchiha upside the head hard enough to slam his head on the table. She immediately felt bad about ti but couldn't bring herself to apologize.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and asked in a pained voice, "Is this how it feels for you?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "You learn to ignore the pain after long enough."

"I'm waiting," Sasuke moaned out.

Sakura looked from side to side and said, "Hey! That's not fair!"

Kakashi chuckled and mumbled, "At least they get along in their own unique way."

* * *

Their food arrived shortly after and Naruto spent most of the time uncomfortable feeling like someone was watching him. He eventually pulsed his chakra around the store and something piqued his interest. He felt the chakra of multiple Sekirei around him and looked around, that's when the depth of the Sekirei plan finally hit him.

Around him were many Sekirei and Ashikabi eating and talking like one would expect average citizens. Most of the Ashikabi were nothing more than civilians and Sekirei who showed no signs of wanting to participate in combat in the least. His fist tightened as he thought about all of those people having to be pried away from the ones they've come to care about because some sociopath decided it would be amusing. Not wanting to worry his own Sekirei he calmed himself with a few breaths and resumed eating.

* * *

After eating the team paid, or more specifically Kakashi did, and they left the grill and returned to the Inn. Along the way Naruto stopped because he felt the Nine-Tails tugging at him, which usually met he wanted to talk.

He looked at Kakashi and mimicked fox ears with his hands and sat on a nearby bench.

Sakura blinked in confusion and asked while pointing at the blonde, "What was that all about?"

"_It_ wanted to talk to him," he answered quietly, getting understanding nods from the two.

* * *

Inside the seal Naruto walked up to Kurama's cage and asked, "What's up big guy?"

"**Look up,"** it said plainly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but looked at the spot where his connections for the Sekirei are and saw that there was a new one, and that it was pulsing with energy instead of the usual flow. He looked at Kurama and asked, "What's that mean?"

"**I've kept track of when you 'react' to them and that pulsing happens when a Sekirei formed a bond a while ago and their powers are starting to fail them. I just thought it would be prudent to inform you of this before one of them burns the village down or something. After all, being in here when you're depressed is…depressing,"** it said with finger quotes on react.

Naruto nodded and asked, "Any ideas who?"

Kurama nodded and said, **"That red head from the Arboretum. I was able to utilize your senses during then and didn't realize until now she had been watching you the whole time,"** pointing at the new connection it said, **"**_**That**_** appeared shortly after we freed that Yomi girl. I didn't feel the need to inform you because I figure you'd figure it out or meet her before now."**

Naruto nodded and said, "Think you can lead me to her?"

Kurama said with a thoughtful expression, **"If I have more advanced use of your senses. Then I'd be able to find her and get her winged before she ends up chopping someone up by accident or something."**

Naruto chuckled and said, "A real bleeding heart huh? You just want to have a large flock so you can brag to the others."

Kurama twitched an eyebrow and said, **"Watch it human. Remember, cutting off blood flow to parts of your body is easy. I could start **_**there**_**."**

Naruto simply paled and vanished from the seal.

* * *

Back in the real world he opened his eyes and Kakashi asked, "Well?"

Naruto nodded and said, "He told me I've got another."

Sakura twitched an eyebrow and asked, "Seriously? Wouldn't that make, what, eight now? Isn't there some kind of limit on how many you can have?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Dunno. All I know is another one is reacting to me and starting to get to the later stages of it where her powers will go out of control."

Kakashi nodded and said, "So, you going to try and find her?"

"Fluffy says he can help find me find her, but I haven't seen anything that would put her in too much danger. But if I get even the slightest hint that Minaka is doing anything to put her in danger then I'll go after her," Naruto answered.

"Right, then let's head back to the inn and get some rest. Tomorrow we'll go another mission," Kakashi said with a nod.

With that, the team returned to the inn.

* * *

As they arrived Naruto noticed Asuma had left and Kazehana was, or had, drank herself stupid. He also noticed Hibiki and Hikari were there, but with someone else.

A woman with waist length brown hair and light brown eyes wearing a small, black halter top shirt with white lining and the Sekirei crest on the left breast, long white, fingerless gloves, a white skirt with a black cloth that reached her knees and knee-high black boots with white stockings that reached her thighs.

As soon as Team Seven walked in she turned and waved at Kakashi, getting an irritated glare from the Lightning Twins.

Kakashi began to sweat as his team stared at him incredulously. He motioned towards her and said, "Team, meet No. 55 Saki. She's my third Sekirei."

"How did you meet her?" Sakura asked flatly.

Kakashi performed a very Naruto action as he rubbed the back of his head and laughed uncomfortably. "Well…" he trailed off as he told them what happened.

* * *

_After a recent training stint with his team, Kakashi was walking towards his favorite store. A small building on the edge of town that very…specific merchandise. His pace slowed and his sense heightened when he became aware of being followed. He looked around and noticed a shadow duck behind a building when he looked towards his right. He narrowed his eye and decided to pretend like he didn't notice._

_Continuing his walk he sighed as reached it and looked at the owner. "Yo, Souta, any new material?"_

_The old bespectacled man nodded and said, "Yeah. Nothing on the Make-Out series but I've got some other items."_

_Kakashi made a lazy thumbs up and said, "Groovy."_

_He and the man entered as an eye in the shadows narrowed._

* * *

_ Kakashi perused the works of a certain Sannin and giggled perversely as he read._

_Tapping his duster on the counter Souta said, "Hey! You gotta pay to read!"_

_Kakashi sighed and said, "Well, I've already got this one so it's fine." He set the book down and returned to browsing. He turned to the door as someone walked in. He narrowed his eye as he saw the Sekirei crest on her shirt. '_Hee hee, well. Most of a shirt,_' he thought perversely as he saw Saki's outfit._

_She looked around and seemingly found what she was looking for and began chuckling as she read._

_Kakashi simply continued reading for a few moments and then said, "Well, I can't find anything I need, so I'm gonna go."_

_Souta simply nodded as Kakashi left._

* * *

_ Kakashi walked several paces and instantly noticed Saki run out of the book shop and jump to a hiding spot. Looking back to where she was hiding he teleported away in a burst of smoke._

_Saki grumbled and said, "Great, target lost."_

"_And just why are you following me?"_

_Saki froze immediately turned slowly, sweating bullets, to see Kakashi directly behind her. She swallowed and said, "H-hiii…"_

_Kakashi made half a hand sign and said, "I suggest you talk now or I'm handing you over to I&T, and they know about the game."_

_She put up her hands and said, "Whoa! Hold on! Alright, alright. I'm a spy for MBI, I was ordered to track your team; well one specific member. Buuut…I kinda…got distracted following you." She blushed as she finished._

_Kakashi sighed and said coldly, "Tell me who you were following and why, and then tell whoever's ordering you around that you failed and lost that target and leave and I'll think about releasing you."_

_Saki blushed and thought, '_So commanding. I think I'm in love._' She nodded and said, "I'm…supposed to be trailing Naruto. It was also just Minaka who ordered me to trail him, so I don't think that excuse would fool him."_

_Kakashi nodded and said evenly, "Right, mind explaining why?"_

_She frowned and said, "He didn't tell me. Now, since I've done something for you, how about you return the favor?"_

_Kakashi's brow flattened and he said, "You were spying on us, that doesn't deserve a reward."_

_Her frown deepened and she said demurely, "Well then…how about as punishment you make me yours."_

_Kakashi stared at her blankly for several seconds before turning with anime tears streaming from his eye as he thought, '_What luck! I gain a spy within MBI and a new Sekirei! Wait…those two would kill me._' He turned back and put his hand on his chin and thought, '_Well…maybe a third Sekirei is worth it. Besides…_' images of a cackling Naruto with his numerous Sekirei at his feet flooded his mind as he thought, '_I can't allow my student to get so far ahead of me. It simply isn't right._' Turning back to Saki he said, "Alright. But I'd like you to give me everything you've gotten on the other Ashikabi and MBI."_

_She nodded emphatically and said, "Right!"_

_Kakashi nodded and pulled down his mask, at which point Saki's face lit up like a light bulb and pounced on him, her blue wings of light emerging from her back._

* * *

Back at the inn, Naruto and the others looked at him in disapproving disbelief.

"Kakashi," Naruto said flatly.

"Yes?" Kakashi asked.

"That's pathetic," Naruto deadpanned.

"So it seems you're still as trashy as ever, eh Kakashi?" Miya asked, laughing behind her sleeve.

Kakashi simply twitched an eyebrow.

Running was suddenly heard as Matsu burst through the door. She was about to speak when she and Saki locked eyes.

"YOU!" they shouted in unison.

"You know each other?" Naruto asked.

Matsu nodded and said, "~Yeeaahh~…I've got a little secret about that."

Naruto blinked in waiting.

Putting her arms behind and blushing in slight embarrassment Matsu said, "You see…I'm hiding here in Izumo Inn because…I kinda ran off on MBI."

"Kind of!? You destroyed our files, damaged important equipment, severely injured several guards and even managed to break into MBI's security vaults!" Saki shouted accusingly.

As Saki listed off each of Matsu's transgressions her posture faltered until she was completely slumped over and said defeated, "Yeah…I know. But I had my reasons."

Saki was about shout some more but Naruto beat her to the punch and said, "This is the first time I'm hearing about this. Well, whatever. I can't blame you for running from those bastards. Anyway, I assume you wouldn't come bursting through the door for no reason?"

Matsu froze and said with a frantic nod, "Right! I just got word on a letter MBI just sent out. It should arrive in the village tomorrow for the other Ashikabi to see."

Naruto nodded and asked, "What's it say?"

"It says 'There is a new bird for the taking. It controls the flames of Amaterasu, race to the finish,'" she said.

Sasuke spoke first and asked, "Did you say Amaterasu?"

Matsu nodded and asked, "You know what that means?"

"Yes. The flames of Amaterasu probably refers to Amaterasu. It's a jutsu that can be used by the mangekyo sharingan," Sasuke said with a nod.

Kakashi nodded as well and said, "Yes, I've heard of the Amaterasu. I've never seen it in person but I've heard about it. They're black flames that burn for seven days and seven nights straight before they go out."

Sasuke nodded back and said, "The very same. If there's a Sekirei out there that can use those flames anyone of the other cardinals getting their hands on her would be bad."

Naruto nodded in agreement and said, "Right. With that in mind I think we should go look for her, at least keep her safe here until we can find her Ashikabi."

Everyone nodded in consent and Matsu said, "Okay. I'll see if I can find out who it is exactly and give the information." Reaching into her pockets she pulled out small round objects. She handed them to everyone and said, "These are wireless headsets that allow everyone to communicate over long distances. They have a range of the entire length of the village so as long as you don't leave the village you'll be able to speak with the others and me."

Naruto and the others nodded and attached the headsets.

Sakura made the observation, "These sure have longer range than the usual headsets."

Matsu nodded and said, "Yup. I've enhanced them with sealing jutsu."

Nodding they all left the inn and began scouring the village, waiting for confirmation on what the Black Flame Sekirei looked like.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rias was running around the village being chased by multiple Sekirei. Among them was a Sekirei with short, unkempt brown hair wearing a white and red priestess outfit with the sleeves frayed because of the large curved swords attached to her arms.

This Sekirei leapt at Rias with an arm reeled back, only to be shot back by a blast of black fire.

The woman hit the ground hard and mumbled, "You bitch. Sai, get her!"

A girl in a skimpy, sleeveless shirt with black and red stripes accompanied by arm-length, striped, fingerless gloves and a pair extremely short pants that were little more than underwear along with straps attached to her shoulders that had threads attached to knives that she tossed at Rias.

Rias made a wall of flame that knocked the knives away.

Sai grumbled and tugged on the threads, pulling the knives back to her grasp.

Rias snarled and leapt onto a nearby building.

She found herself cornered by Mutsu again who charged at her, only for a wall of ice to form followed by a blast of wind that sent him skidding across the ground, followed by the Storm Sekirei landing on the rooftop.

The Sekirei with the blades reappeared and glared at Mutsu saying, "Damn you, why is the south here?"

Mutsu frowned and said, "My master wants the Black Flame Sekirei, so I'm here to get here."

The bladed Sekirei asked puzzled, "How did you hear about that?"

"My master has a brain-type too," Mutsu said flatly.

The two then looked to the middle of the roof and realized that Rias and the Storm Sekirei were gone.

"Moron, you let them escape," the bladed Sekirei said bluntly.

Mutsu just sighed and took off to follow the two of them.

* * *

Nearby, Naruto was running along the rooftops when he noticed two figures in the distance being chased by a large group. Flowing chakra to his eyes he saw them, but didn't recognize them and decided to intervene. He jumped over to the nearby structures to join the chase.

* * *

Ichinomi sat in his office at MBI headquarters, playing with a coin while the Discipline Squad sat in different seats. Benitsubasa slept in a chair, Karasuba looked out the window. One last member, a slender woman with disheveled grey hair, narrow dark eyes and her body wrapped in bandages under a tattered black kimono and clawed gauntlets on her hands. She sat lamely in a chair with an expression of boredom on her face.

"Haihane," Ichinomi said plainly.

She turned and asked, "What is it?"

"Tell me, what do you think of the Ashikabi Minaka is so interested in?" he wondered aloud.

She walked over and looked at an image of Naruto. She then turned to Ichinomi and said, "He seems rather boring, but he does have many Sekirei."

He nodded and said, "I cannot understand Minaka's obsession with him. He isn't the only Jinchuriki in the game."

"You suggested him being an executioner," Haihane said chidingly.

Ichinomi chuckled and said, "Yes. But that was for a different purpose. He could be a useful commodity, perhaps if we could contact one of his Sekirei, we could use them as inspiration to help us. But, there is little I can do now. Anyway, I'm going to talk to Leader and see if he wants us to do anything."

Haihane nodded and she and Benitsubasa followed him as he left his office and proceeded to the top of the MBI tower.

* * *

As he reached the back of the tower's peak he entered a small room with an opening at the back. He approached the opening and a figure sitting on the ledge turned to him.

Ichinomi bowed and said, "I have a question for you, Lord Pein."

* * *

**So, that a shocking enough twist for you guys? Several people already made the assumption MBI and the Akatsuki were in cahoots but I've now confirmed it. Anyway, next chapter is the actual battle royal that I've set up here so I hope you don't mind waiting until then. So make sure to tell me what you think of the story, the characters, or just your opinions and speculations on the plot in a review, and the longer and more detailed the better.**

**Well, that's about it...oh, one more thing. This story now has a coauthor, Jose19. So hopefully his seemingly massive knowledge of Sekirei will help me out.**


	20. Village Wide Battle Royale

Chapter XX

**Hello people, time for chapter twenty...can't believe this story is that long :l Anyway, it's just a chapter or two more until I move into the chunin exams and this arc comes to a close. It's my first original arc in this story and I hope it was enjoyable. I'd like you guys' thoughts on it and anything you can think of that could improve future original arcs I come up with. Of course I need to thank my coauthor Jose19 who has been practically invaluable with this, along with the other reader who actually gave me the idea for this whole arc to begin with. I'd also like your guys' opinions on my battles. After a suggestion from my ex-beta I started writing all of the battles as one long bit one after the other and it seems to be serving me well-enough. What I'd like to know is if you guys like and if you'd prefer I'd jump around a bit, going from battle to battle instead of focusing on one the whole time. **** I'm actually going to start a poll on my page to see your opinions.** **Can't think of anything else to say so let's get to the reviewer responses. **

**Legendary-Titan: And here it is. I like your suggestions and yes, that's why I gave Rias the black flames, they're similar enough to the Power of Destruction while still being an element rather than just indiscriminate laser beams. It does seem Kakashi has no luck with her does he? And sorry, the Flying Raijin is going to require some more refining and practice before he can use it.**

**Keeper of Harmony: Maybe, maybe not. The Storm Sekirei might be someone completely different and Ororo could just be a reference to an anime I like.**

**blue-hart: that will happen "on-screen" during those specific events, so you'll see it.**

**Markus-Antonius: Well just read to find out. Yes, his knowledge base does seem rather vast.**

**ncpfan: I did, thanks for the info, they looked a different color in the images I saw so thanks for clearing that up. And she certainly does on all points.**

* * *

Naruto sped along the rooftops of the Leaf Village, in hot pursuit of multiple Sekirei; chief among them No. 05 Mutsu along with multiple Sekirei belonging to the Ashikabis of the South and East.

He neared the group from the side and recognized one of the Sekirei being chased as the redhead he saw after rescuing Kusano. Which meant her powers were weakened and unstable, meaning it'd be harder for her to fight. Surging forward with chakra he tried to catch up, but as soon as he got close, a black ribbon soared towards him, he was forced to drop lower to not get hit.

He looked to a higher building and saw a young woman with waist length, straight blonde hair with two red ribbons on the sides and green eyes. She wore a sleeveless white shirt that was very tight and accentuated her bust with a red bowtie on the neck, shoulder length white gloves with ribbons at the top that were the source of her long black ribbon-weapons, a short black skirt with white frills at the edge and thigh high boots.

He noticed that despite her outfit and the fact that she attacked him her face was filled with worry. She looked at him and said fragilely, "P-please, just go back, I don't want to hurt you."

Naruto sighed and said, "As gracious as the offer is, I need to stop your friends."

She frowned and said, "I'm sorry, I can't let you through."

Naruto nodded and said, "That's too bad, I only want to protect the others."

Frowning again she said, "I am No. 96 Kujou."

Naruto nodded and was about to speak but another voice said, "No. 06 Homura."

Naruto turned to see the Flame Sekirei standing nearby. Homura merely motioned his head in the direction of the others.

Naruto nodded with a smile and took off.

Homura turned back to Kujou, causing her to flinch when he did. He got into a ready stance for battle; Kujou did as well, albeit shakily.

He started by tossing a fireball that Kujou dodged by rolling to the side, she then sent two ribbons at him from both sides.

Homura jumped and flipped in the air before tossing a blade of fire at Kujou.

Kujou winced and formed a circular shield with her ribbons that managed to block the flames. She brought the shield down only to see Homura was gone, she then turned around just in time to dodge a flame encased punch to the sternum. She retaliated with a drill made of ribbons that chased down Homura.

After a few feet Homura made a heel turn and bolted for Kujou, at speeds she couldn't hope to track.

Kujou attempted to put up a shield but found she had overextended herself, leaving no ribbon for defense. She glared and used her extended ribbon to trap Homura but he simply leapt free of them and charged a blast of fire.

He then launched the large fireball that spread into multiple others.

Kujou trembled before managing to jump to the side to dodge. She slid along the roof's rough surface and looked up to see Homura sauntering over. She raised her arm to aim her ribbons, but nothing happened. She looked to the side and paled. Homura's widespread fireballs had burnt up most of her ribbons. She watched him walk over with a flame in his hands.

He said calmly, "This is what happens when you fight a winged single number."

* * *

On the ground, onlookers saw a bright orange light from the roof that died down quickly.

* * *

As Naruto continued his chase he heard his headset beep.

"Naruto, you there?" he heard Matsu say.

"Yes," he said with a nod, even though he knew she couldn't see it.

She responded with a worried tone, "We've got a problem, several Sekirei have broken from the group and are circling around to trap you."

Naruto responded, "Right, I'll see if I can outrun them."

"Okay, just in case I've alerted Sasuke and Yahan and they should catch up soon," Matsu answered.

Naruto nodded and pumped his muscles with chakra to speed up.

* * *

Up ahead, Mutsu neared Rias and the Storm Sekirei but was knocked back into the bladed Sekirei by a blast of wind.

Mitsuha then used Mutsu's face as a stepping stone, annoying him greatly, and tried to wrap one of their targets, but a wall of ice stopped her whip dead. She growled before jumping over it slung her whip hard and fast, managing to catch the unknown Sekirei by the ankle, smacking her into a roof. Mitsuha grinned and then dropped down heel first in attempt to take out the other Sekirei but was blasted away, this time by water. She shook her head and looked up to see Tsukiumi standing on an adjacent roof.

The blonde water user stood proudly, her arms folded under her bust with water calmly swirling around her. She then stuck out her right hand and shouted, "Water Arrow!" Multiple spear-shaped jets of water formed and launched at the other blonde, forcing her to jump and roll out of the way. Tsukiumi created a bridge of water and used it to cross over to the other roof and stood between Rias and the Storm Sekirei and the pursuing forces.

Tsukiumi huffed and said accusingly, "Doth thou not think this improper? So many against two? Art thou that scurvy or…art thou so weak that such numbers art required to defeat these two?"

The other Sekirei made their anger at the insult obvious. One, the Sekirei with the arm-mounted blades, charged and shouted, "Don't mock me bitch!" She neared Tsukiumi and was knocked away by a wall of water from underneath.

Tsukiumi leered and said, "Stay back, tis a battle between myself and the whip-user."

Mitsuha stood and tugged on her coiled whip with a smirk and said, "What, you mean like a one-on-one battle? Sorry, that's not the way we fight."

Tsukiumi was about to ask for clarification when Mitsuki dropped down next to her sister Sekirei. She grumbled and said, "How dareth thee, a proper Sekirei battle is one-on-one; thou dost not fight fair."

Mistuha smirked and Mitsuki said, "Fair? Sorry, all's fair in combat."

Tsukiumi growled and Mitsuki readied her whips but they were blocked by a wall of ice.

Tsukiumi looked to her right as Akitsu dropped down next to her, her usually emotionless face present as she asked, "Need help?"

Tsukiumi sighed angrily and said, "Not really, but I despise unfair fights."

Akitsu nodded and said, "Right, I'll take the one with many whips."

Tsukiumi nodded and turned to Mitsuha and said, "No. 09 Tsukiumi."

Mitsuha grunted and said, "No. 38 Mitsuha."

"With thy low number, thou stands little chance of victory," Tsukiumi said smugly.

Mitsuha glared and said, "We'll see about that!" She then reared back her whip and sent it at Tsukiumi.

Tsukiumi moved to the side and launched a wave of water at her.

Mitsuha made a diagonal slice with her whip and sent the blast of water crashing harmlessly behind her. She then threw a wide strike that Tsukiumi jumped to dodge before sending more shots of water that Mitsuha rolled to evade.

Tsukiumi concentrated for a moment as spears of water formed and then she said, "Water Arrow!" as they flew at Mitsuha.

"Please," the blonde said snidely as she whipped the spears in half with little effort. She simply rested her weapon on the ground with a smirk.

Tsukiumi snarled and said, "I shalt admit that thou art skilled. But can thee handle this?!" A sphere of water formed in her hand and she shouted, "Water Celebration!" as it surged out in a torrent.

Mitsuha barely managed to dodge the attack and landed back on the roof hard and threw more whip strikes that Tsukiumi managed to block or dodge.

Tsukiumi attempted to get close to Mitsuha to land a blow but was always driven back by the other blonde's whip.

After several minutes of this same back and forth, Tsukiumi launching attacks that are dodged or blocked by Mitsuha, attempting to get close but being driven back by Mitsuha's whips and then dodging her attacks, Tsukiumi came up with an idea. She formed water around her index finger and extended it, it being held loosely. She reared her arm back and threw it forward shouting, "Water Whip!"

Mitsuha had to ready herself for the brand new attack. She wasn't quick enough as it wrapped around her leg and threw her from the building straight to the ground.

* * *

Mitsuki grunted as well and said, "No. 39 Mitsuki."

"No. 07…Akitsu," she said with a pause.

Mitsuki sweat-dropped and thought, '_What's with the pause? Wait, did she say 07? I thought she was scrapped. This can't be good._' She readied her whips, using a slight amount of chakra to manipulate their movements. She coiled her arm back and then surged forward, sending the whips crashing forward in unison.

Akitsu was forced to dodge the incoming strikes by hopping side to side before finding an opening and slinging several ice spears.

Mitsuha was able to easily deflect the spears. She raised an eyebrow however, as she expected them to shatter, not just be deflected. Her thoughts were brought to an end when a large column of ice barreled towards her.

With the faintest bit of humor, Akitsu said, "You should pay attention to a long range fighter. Especially one that outranks you so much."

Mitsuki spat and said, "Yeah, I'm not stupid." She then attempted to use the weighted heads of her whips to slice through the ice wall but found the ice was, just like the spears, somehow greatly reinforced. She simply growled before charging at Akitsu with her whips readied.

The ice user easily dodged the attacks, a feat of speed unexpected by her lazy gait and expression.

So much so that Mitsuki barely had time to gasp before Akitsu slammed an ice encased fist into her back, sending her plummeting.

Not interested in becoming street paint, Mitsuki used the enhanced ice to her advantage, wrapping the heads of her whips around the spears and gaining momentum by using it as a pivot point and hurling herself at the still airborne ice user, nailing her in the stomach with a knee wrapping her legs in the multi-headed whips and slamming her into the roof with an explosion of dust.

Landing triumphantly on one of the spikes Mitsuki said, "Who's not paying attention now?" She gasped as Akitsu stood.

The ice woman stood with a blatantly dislocated elbow and several gashes on her arms. Her arm reset itself and the gashes closed as steam poured out from the wounds, the wounds themselves lit up with a faint red light. Akitsu narrowed her eyes at Mitsuha and snapped her fingers.

Mitsuha didn't have time to react as the ice spike she was on shattered, causing her to fall to the roof with a thud. She regained her senses just as Akitsu closed, her fingers now encased in claws of ice as she swung at Mitsuha.

The blonde struggled to dodge each strike, several scraping her arms and shoulders. She lost her balance when she accidentally reached the edge of the roof.

Akitsu took the chance to smash a kick into the blonde's stomach, sending her crashing to the ground after bouncing off the wall and smashing through a sign, landing on top of Mitsuha.

* * *

Elsewhere, inside the MBI tower, Ichinomi sat in a kneeling position behind Pein.

"What is it you need Ichinomi?" Pein asked in his monotonous voice.

Glancing up at the orange-haired man, Ichinomi said, "It seems we may have a problem."

Pein merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"It appears that Minaka has allowed his love of entertainment to interfere with our goals. He has been personally intervening in the plan's events, often causing Sekirei to be winged by the wrong Ashikabi. And getting some Sekirei terminated before their growth is complete," Ichinomi reported dryly.

Pein narrowed his eyes and said, "I understand. If there is anything going on now that could jeopardize our plans send in the Discipline Squad to disband it. The sacrifices cannot be weak when they are returned to their home." With that he left the room, leaving Ichinomi smirking with a devious glint in his eyes.

* * *

Out on the balcony, Minaka stood overlooking his many screens chuckling insanely as he watched the battles proceeding.

His attention was snatched away by the door behind him opening. He turned to see Pein walking towards him, his usually bored expression slightly contorted in anger. Minaka either didn't notice or didn't care as he returned to his screens and asked cheerily, "Ahh, Lord Pein, have you decided to come and watch the show?" He froze as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly and asked, "Something wrong?"

Pein answered, "I thought I asked you to keep this annoying meddling to a minimum. But I've now heard that your actions have actually caused several Sekirei to develop outside their nominal environments."

Minaka chuckled and said, "Aww, but watching things go according to plan is so mundane, so boring. Good entertainment has suspense, drama, intrig-"

His words were cut short as Pein tossed him into a wall.

Minaka sat up and said, "Owwie. That was uncalled for."

Pein stopped short of outright glaring and said in a frighteningly calm voice, "I will harbor no more of your personal interventions. The plan will commence normally from now on. Understand that it is only by the virtue of your brilliance and advanced monitoring and adjustment technology for the Sekirei that the Akatsuki has even allowed you live this long. Do not think you are irreplaceable, now that we have a moderate understanding of this technology, it would be easy to have somebody else take on the job. So understand my patience goes only so far."

Minaka nodded and said with a sigh, "Yes, yes. I'll be a good boy."

Pein sighed and said, "I would hope." He then walked towards the door.

Minaka returned to his monitors and began to chuckle deviously and said, "Heheh, as if anyone could deprive me of my amusement."

A black metal rod embedded itself in one of his screens and Pein shouted, "I can still hear you!"

* * *

In his office, Hiruzen watched the events of this chase unfold and sighed heavily. He looked at the assembled jonin and said, "This is getting out of hand. If this continues then many civilians will be in danger. This is one time I'm giving a collective order to stop these battles."

The jonin all nodded and vanished in puffs of smoke.

Hiruzen looked back at his viewing crystal and sighed.

* * *

Further up ahead, the other Sekirei were nearing the retreating duo, the bladed Sekirei taking the lead again, only to have her feet trapped by cloth and getting slammed into the ground, she looked and growled out, "Would you people stop getting in my fucking way!?"

She looked back and Uzume landed as the other Sekirei passed overhead. She looked at the fallen Sekirei and said, "No. 10 Uzume."

The other Sekirei stood and snarled, "No. 14 Yuzuki."

Uzume's veils began to move as Yuzuki charged.

Yuzuki approached with her arm reared back and Uzume lashed out with several veils coiled into spears. Yuzuki leapt over them and brought her right blade to bear and Uzume rolled to the right before catching Yuzuki at the legs and toppling her over.

The blade user smacked into the hard roof with enough force to crack it before standing up and growling at Uzume. She charged in at the veil user, sending a flurry of swings that Uzume barely managed to dodge or deflect with her veils.

After ending her attack, Yuzuki left an opening Uzume capitalized on, completely wrapping her in veils, hoisting her in the air and then tossing her against the roof, kicking up dust as she bounced harshly on its surface before land against the a water tank that she used as leverage and threw herself at Uzume.

Yuzuki had an insane grin as she approached and asked hysterically, "Isn't this fun!?"

Uzume grunted as she coiled her veils into a round shield that somehow managed to keep Yuzuki back, before the insane blade user used the impact spot as a pivot point and hurled herself over the top of the shield.

Yuzuki brought her blade down in a vertical slice that Uzume managed to mostly dodge but it ended up leaving a scratch on her chest and slice her top in half, causing it to hang loosely around her neck as the fabric around her waist fell.

Uzume glared at the blade user angrily while the other Sekirei stood with a leaning posture with her head cocked to the side, looking completely insane as she asked, "Aww, did I mess up your outfit?"

Uzume replied with a smirk, "Not at all, it's just this scratch is going to make teasing my Ashikabi a little difficult for a few days."

She noticed that seem to annoy the blade user as her posture seemed to slump forward and her smirk was replaced by a glower as she mumbled something incoherent before charging at Uzume.

Uzume didn't have enough reaction time to dodge as the blade neared, but a streak of green sailed by and Yuzuki's blade was sliced apart diagonally; with what would have been the middle of the blade reaching over Uzume's heart dealing no damage as it didn't reach.

The two Sekirei turned to see Asuma standing behind them with a cigarette in his mouth and a bladed weapon on his hand that had four holes at the base of the blade for his fingers to go, four small spike jutting out on the edge for punches with a curved blade extending out to the side. Said blade was encased in a thin veil of green chakra that extended its length by another inch or two. He turned to them and said with a smirk, "Well ladies, as much as I'd rather not interfere, your little catfight is causing a fair bit of damage; so time to call it quits."

Yuzuki looked down at her blade and snarled before taking off.

Uzume looked at Asuma and asked, "What's going on?"

Asuma looked at her with a smirk and said, "Well, my old man's decided this little battle you've got going on is causing a fair bit of trouble. So, he's asked the jonin to go around breaking up these battles before anyone gets seriously hurt."

Uzume nodded and said, "Right. You don't mind if I go on ahead to rejoin Naruto right?"

Asuma shrugged and said, "Be my guest."

Without another word she took off.

"Oooh, true love is just so inspiring, isn't it Asuma?" Kazehana asked as she sauntered over.

Asuma chuckled and said, "I suppose. You're drunk again aren't you?"

Kazehana asked, "Am I awake?"

Asuma simply chuckled uneasily.

* * *

Naruto passed over nearby buildings watching the battles in progress and saw Mitsuha and Mitsuki in battle with Tsukiumi and Akitsu. He snarled and said, "I guessed they'd fight. If I can get to her before the others than the other Ashikabi should pull back." Grunting, he released his restriction seals and nearly vanished in a burst of speed, becoming little more than a blur moving from roof to roof.

* * *

The pursuing group of Sekirei began to make headway as the two targets were forced to turn so as not to get entangled in the village's outer forest.

One Sekirei got separated from the group and was about to rejoin the chase but received a foot to the face instead.

Musubi landed and, with a celebratory fist pump, said happily, "Yay! I separated one!"

Her opponent, a girl with long black hair tied in twin ponytails wearing a priestess outfit very similar to Musubi's own save for semi-detached sleeves and a train on her skirt, stood with a weak look and said, "Please, just go."

Completely ignoring her, Musubi got into a fighting stance and said, "No. 88 Musubi, I'm a fist type."

The girl frowned and said, "No. 40 Shi, weapon type." As she said that her sleeves shifted and two large triangular blades slid out attached to disc that acted as their holders. She then charged at Musubi, her arms effectively flopping around as she reached the fist fighter and swung with her blades in dual horizontal swings.

Musubi jumped back to dodge the swings before smiling and saying, "You're pretty fast, but not as fast as Miss Landlady."

Shi wasn't sure what she meant but continued her assault, running at Musubi, looking for all the world that she was simply stumbling around.

Musubi fell for this little ploy and tilted her head in confusion, but caught on right before Shi lashed out with a swing, managing to land a horizontal slash that made a gash in Musubi's top but left her otherwise unscathed. Musubi blinked in surprise and said, "Aww, I like this top, it's the one I met Naruto in." She looked at Shi with a serious expression, as serious as Musubi can be anyway, and charged at her, launching a flurry of punches that the slow moving blade fighter barely dodged before getting nailed in the chin by a kick, getting thrown back, skidding along the ground.

Shi kicked her feet back and flipped into a proper standing position just in time to dodge a dive bomb from the other shrine maiden Sekirei, her attack doing a fair bit of damage and kicking up a large amount of dust.

Shi stood unsurely of what was happening before Musubi burst from the dust cloud and straight towards Shi. This time, Shi brought her blades up in an X shape instead of dodging, causing Musubi's fist to slam into the flat side of the blades. Shi instantly realized how bad an idea this was when the attack sent her tumbling against the roof, hard. She stood back up and decided to go on the offensive, lashing out with a barrage of seemingly uncoordinated attacks. But then Musubi ducked an attack in an awkward way, allowing Shi to get in an attack.

However, before the strike landed, a green blur came in between the two, grabbing Musubi's fist and Shi's blade. What the two saw made them blink in confusion.

It was a muscular man with black hair in a bowl cut with very prominent, thick eyebrows wearing a green jumpsuit, orange striped leg warmers, an unzipped jonin flak jacket and a red Leaf headband around his waist like a belt. The man stood up straight and gave a nice guy pose, his legs straight with one hand on his hip and his other extended in a thumbs up with a large grin that glinted and said, "Hellllooo everybody, how's life goin'? I apologize for stoppin' your all-important battle but you're putting people in danger so I need to break it up before anyone gets hurt. I'm sure you can understand."

Shi took that moment to flee and Musubi had her fists balled near her chin and said, "Woooowww, you're so cool. Who're you?"

The man smiled and said, "Well little lady, I am the Leaf's Great Green Beast, Maito Gai." He then put a hand on his forehead in a dramatic gesture and said, "Please, save your praise. Your constant…diligence…" he trailed off as he noticed Musubi was nowhere to be seen. He gave a confident pose and said, "I see her flames of youth burn far too bright for my speeches to wait." He pointed to the horizon and shouted, "Go! Go to the setting sun and let your flames of youth burn like an inferno"

Several people on the ground looked up in confusion and said, "Hey, get down before you fall!"

* * *

Four last Sekirei remained in the chase. Himeko, Mutsu and two others.

One was a woman with long black hair held up in a white ribbon with narrow brown eyes wearing a black kimono with wide openings at the shoulders that reached to the waist where there was white and grey obi with a white ribbon leading to a long that exposed her legs on the sides finished off with short white gloves.

The other was a woman with short, unkempt black hair and bored looking black eyes who wore a black bra with shoulder-length black gloves and tight black pants with a brown belt just below her navel that held her nun chucks.

The woman with the long hair turned to Mutsu and said, "Remember, we're only allied until she's captured, then we fight to see whose Ashikabi gets her."

Mutsu nodded easily and said, "I'm fine with that."

Himeko sped up to fight but was interrupted by a staff with a blade that seemed to come from the mouth of a dragon. She turned as Toyotama dropped down to grab it. Himeko tilted her head and said sleepily, "Aww, looks like I'm out of the chase."

Toyotama got into a fighting stance and said, "No. 16 Toyotama, we've met before."

Himeko nodded and said in a drowsy tone, "I know. Either way I'm No. 15 Himeko."

Toyotama charged and made a horizontal stab that Himeko jumped to the side to dodge before making a spinning attack that the spear wielder jumped over. Toyotama landed behind her opponent and flipped her spear and stabbed backwards.

Himeko used the flat side of her shuriken to block the attack and bent forward from the force. She then adjusted her shuriken to catch Toyotama's spear and attempt to take it from her hands.

Instead Toyotama turned that move against her and threw her instead.

Himeko kipped up on her feet and landed gracefully before kicking off and charging towards Toyotama in a flanking pattern, her previously lazy and sleepy demeanor completely replaced by a dead serious expression. Once she got close to Toyotama she reeled back for an attack, Toyotama lashed out in anticipation but it was little more than a feint and Himeko spun around her and attempted to stab her from behind but Toyotama ducked and sent out a kick from her crouched position that hit Himeko in the jaw and sent her sailing through the air.

Before landing however, Himeko planted her shuriken in the ground and used it to swing herself around to a standing position, bringing the blade with her in a fluid motion as it swung behind her before she tossed it forward, the giant blade spinning through the air like a saw blade with Himeko charging low just behind it and to the side.

Toyotama saw this and thought, '_Damn, if I block the shuriken she'll get me. If I try to dodge it she still has enough time to correct and come after me. Guess I'll need to risk it._' She instantly dove to the side as the shuriken sailed past, Himeko directly behind who grabbed it and redirected it at the spear wielder.

Toyotama's eyes widened in shock as the giant weapon sailed at her with a speed and distance she couldn't dodge. She had only one choice, she threw her spear.

The two weapons collided and stopped dead, but Himeko continued her charge and attempted a punch to Toyotama's stomach.

She was having none of that. Toyotama stepped on Himeko's hand, slamming it into the ground hard, snapping it at the wrist. She then spun and kicked Himeko in the jaw, sending the girl tumbling. But she didn't get far as Toyotama still had her hand trapped, resulting in her arm twisting with a sickening crack. Toyotama stood panting and said, "It's only because my Ashikabi would hate me for it that I won't deactivate you, if you surrender and leave."

Himeko glared up at the other Sekirei and growled out, "H-how? I'm a higher number than you are."

Toyotama smirked and said, "Because the love of my Ashikabi gives me strength."

Himeko snarled and said, "Let me collect my shuriken and I'll leave."

Toyotama stepped away, allowing Himeko to stand and move over to her weapon, her left arm hanging limply and the palm facing outward. She grabbed her shuriken and sent the greenette one last glare before leaving.

Toyotama sighed and picked up her blade and smiled at her reflection and mumbled, "At least now I have an Ashikabi worth living for." She too then vacated the area.

* * *

Mutsu looked back and frowned that he was now the only one against Izumi's Sekirei. He would be able to beat them but having to do that and incapacitate the redhead would be annoying. He simply sped along.

He smirked however, when his two followers were interrupted.

The one with nun chucks by Yahan and the other by Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked as he unsheathed his sword and got into a battle ready stance.

His opponent narrowed her eyes and assumed a taijutsu stance. She said in an even tone, "No. 79 Yuko."

Sasuke nodded and said, "Sasuke Uchiha."

Yuko slightly raised an eyebrow and asked, "Not a Sekirei? This should be interesting."

Sasuke smirked and said, "I would hope." He made the first move, charging with his chokuto at the ready.

Yuko merely smirked as he approached and jumped over his first swing before coming back down and sending him a roundhouse that collided with his face.

He tumbled but managed to use his sword as a pivot point to stand up, just in time to see Yuko charging at him. He attempted to stab at her but she yet again leapt over it and slammed a foot into his back that caused him to fall forward.

Yuko looked back with a disappointed expression and asked tauntingly, "Is this really all the great Uchiha heir can do?"

Sasuke got to a crouch and looked back annoyed and wondered, '_What the hell is going on? Her number is so low I shouldn't be having any trouble,_' he looked at his sword in annoyance and thought, '_guess I need a bit more practice._' He stood up and sheathed his sword and got into an intercepting fist stance, activating his immature Sharingan at the same time.

Yuko snickered and said, "Wow, lucky me. I get to face the famed Sharingan. I wonder if your skills will increase at all."

Sasuke smirked and said, "Guess you'll find out."

Without another word their battle renewed, both charging in unison. Yuko sent a backhanded punch and Sasuke blocked with a palm strike before sending out a punch that Yuko twirled around.

She attempted to chop his neck but he ducked forward and continued with a back-facing kick that she managed to catch but the force alone still lifted her off her feet and caused her slide.

Sasuke took the opportunity to spin around and charge in, sending a series of swift punches. Yuko managed to dodge or block most of them but the last one landed on her collar and winded her, allowing Sasuke to sweep out her legs and continue to spin his other leg around with an axe kick that slammed her into the hard surface of the roof with enough force to buckle it, and cause her to cough up several drops of blood.

Sasuke pulled back as she corrected herself into a standing position. With a smirk on his face he asked, "Have I improved?"

Yuko frowned as she spit out the blood in her mouth and wiped off the trail on her chin and said in annoyance, "A bit." She got ready and charged in at Sasuke, weaving side to side.

Unfortunately for her, Sasuke's Sharingan, despite its immaturity, still allowed him to perfectly track her movements. The moment she got close enough to attack, Sasuke ducked under her punch and sent a sweeping kick that Yuko jumped to avoid; which was exactly what Sasuke wanted. He grabbed her leg and slammed her back down hard enough to send debris out.

She stood up with a horizontal kick that Sasuke jumped back to avoid, then began going through hand signs.

"Not a chance!" she shouted as she closed in.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called out, spitting out a large fireball, much larger than normal, that rushed towards Yuko.

Yuko gasped and jumped to the side, but was confronted by Sasuke who was already there. She didn't have time to defend as he gave a hard punch to the gut, then spun in a kick that sent her crashing.

She attempted to get up as Sasuke charged, a kunai in hand. Moments before it connected, a bandage covered hand clasped Sasuke's and stopped him. He looked and saw a light-skinned young woman with long, untamed black hair, red eyes, and an outfit consisting of a red, one-sleeved, mesh armor blouse, a wide material wrapped around that with a pattern resembling rose thorns; her outfit was finished with bandages on her hands and lower arms and her upper thighs. The woman calmly said, "That's enough Sasuke, this battle is over."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance but stowed his weapon.

The woman turned to Yuko and said, "Same for you, get going."

Yuko responded with little more than a groan and left.

Sasuke looked at the woman and asked, "You're the leader of Team Eight right?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, you seem to have a good memory. My name is Kurenai Yuhi."

The two paused when they heard a shriek of pain and ran over to investigate.

* * *

Yahan equipped her dagger and her opponent her nun chucks. Yahan then said, "No. 57 Yahan."

Her opponent said uninterested, "No. 94 Masami."

Yahan made the first move by circling around Masami and running forward.

Masami reacted by spinning and attempting to clothesline Yahan with her nun chucks, failing as the dark-skinned Sekirei easily ducked the swing and came back up with her blade ready.

Masami jumped back hopped to the side and brought her nun chucks wide to hit Yahan from behind.

Yahan smirked, grabbed the weapon, tugged and pulled the shirtless Sekirei in close, a smirk on her face.

Masami pulled back and then noticed a sharp pain in her abdomen. She looked down and saw blood falling from her stomach, Yahan had stabbed her in the abdomen. Masami shrieked before falling over, her Sekirei crest blinking before fading away.

Yahan shook the blood off of her dagger and stowed it as Kurenai and Sasuke approached. Sasuke looked over to Masami's body and asked nonchalantly, "Guess you won?"

Yahan nodded and said, "Yup, now I need to wait for MBI to collect her."

"Collect her?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

Yahan nodded and said, "Yes. MBI collects all of the defeated Sekirei, they don't say why but most assume it's to readjust them and send them back out."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and said, "That's weird, I hope Naruto doesn't know about this, it'd drive him insane."

Yahan chuckled and said, "That it would."

"While this little exchange is endearing we need to get going," Kurenai said.

Sasuke nodded and Yahan said, "I'll catch up later."

The two ninja nodded and took off.

* * *

Mutsu neared his targets and unsheathed his sword, raising it above his head.

The Storm Sekirei attempted to strike him but was knocked away by a fast spin kick as he said calmly, "Not this time."

She careened through the air before slamming into a building, spraying smoke and rubble as she landed hard.

He glanced at her then resumed his attack on Rias. He gave a horizontal swing that she back stepped to dodge.

She charged a blast of fire then hurled it at Mutsu.

Mutsu easily sliced the fireball in half, sending it crashing down. He charge again with a downwards vertical, upwards left diagonal, then right horizontal.

Rias dodged each strike with some effort, but the last one made a gash in her shirt and gave her a slight graze along the top of her chest. She glared and aimed her hand at Mutsu but he kicked it away and kicked her in the stomach, slamming her into a wall.

She looked up with a glare as he approached.

He looked down emotionlessly and said, "Surrender, or I will need to hurt you further."

Weakly she taunted, "Go to hell."

Mutsu sighed and said, "Something told me you'd say that." He reared his blade back ready to strike, he then lunged forward.

Rias could only watch as his blade seemed to move in slow motion towards her; her incapacitated by the heat in her chest that had been growing since the chase began and even now was getting hotter and hotter.

Inches away from her, Mutsu's blade was sent off course as he was struck by a fist to the face that buried itself deep. He struggled for a moment to stand before the overwhelming force sent him crashing into a building across the road.

Rias was agape and looked from Mutsu's incapacitated form to the fist, then to the black clad arm, to the mop of blonde hair; she then noticed Naruto completely, including the expression of intermingled disgust and annoyance that she somehow knew was not aimed at Mutsu but another source but arose for her. This inexplicable knowledge combined with his appearance caused a blush to form on her cheeks and for her Sekirei crest to light up like a torch.

Naruto sighed and asked, "Are you alright?"

Rias' brain turned back in and she nodded.

Naruto nodded and said, "Right, I'll deal with him; try to stay back."

She nodded in agreement as Mutsu stood back up.

As he did, a man came over and shouted, "That's my roof! How am I supposed to fix this?"

Mutsu sent a sharp glare at the man.

He gulped and said, "N-never mind." He immediately turned and ran.

Mutsu looked back at Naruto and growled before leaping back to the other roof and readying his sword. Looking at Naruto he said, "If you leave now I won't kill you."

Naruto unsealed his katana and replied, "Che, not a chance."

Mutsu frowned and said, "Fighting me in a battle of swords is foolish."

Naruto smirked and said, "I've got a really good teacher."

Mutsu responded by charging at him in a blur.

Naruto managed to block the strike by putting his blade horizontal, causing the two swords to lock together. Naruto then flowed chakra into his muscles momentarily and pushed Mutsu back.

Mutsu's eyes widened and he thought, '_How can a genin be this strong?!_' He corrected himself and used more of his own strength, overpowering Naruto again, knocking him back.

Naruto rolled away as a strike came down, slamming into the ground. Naruto kipped up and rushed in, sending out a vertical downward, diagonal upward and horizontal swings that Mutsu dodged or deflected effortlessly. Naruto attempted a jab but got kicked in the stomach instead.

Mutsu then spun into another kick while Naruto was still airborne, sending him hurtling back, slamming into a building across the street and tumbling down to the ground, causing the people to scatter and begin mumbling insults.

Mutsu jumped down and stopped as he heard some of the insults.

"The demon brat!"

"What's he doing now?"

"Who knows, that brat's just getting what's coming to it."

Mutsu narrowed his eyes and felt momentary pity for the blonde as he stood up, seemingly ignoring the constant insults.

Rias also heard the murmuring surrounding the blonde, and wondered why as the two renewed their fight.

Naruto charged at Mutsu, sending a series of swings.

Mutsu held his sword with one hand and deflected all of the attacks with little effort. After Naruto pulled back Mutsu charged in sending his own strikes, this time using full force.

Each attack knocked Naruto off balance and after the last of the barrage Mutsu sent a kick that Naruto ducked under.

Naruto spun as he did so and attempted to slice at Mutsu, but the single number effortlessly jumped back and then in while Naruto was still overextended.

Mutsu took the butt of his sword and slammed it into the back of Naruto's neck and then kneed him in the gut. He then spun with the kick, using his shin to kick Naruto away, bouncing limply against the ground.

Naruto stood up and spat out blood, then charged in again without missing a beat.

Mutsu merely sighed but stopped when he saw Naruto dump his sword and attack with something else, a Rasengan. The spinning ball of chakra collided with Mutsu's blade, grinding against it with sparks flying.

Mutsu grunted as the jutsu's force collided with his blade. At that moment a shadow clone burst into existence and tried to attack Mutsu.

The Sekirei pushed against Naruto, destabilizing the jutsu and killing the clone.

Naruto slammed against the ground and growled. '_Dammit, is this really how strong the single numbers are? Heh, guess I'm lucky to have Akitsu and Tsukiumi then. I think I may be out of my league,_' he thought as his fatigue started to catch up to him.

Mutsu prepared his next attack as two people approached the scene of the battle.

Naruto looked back and saw two faces he instantly recognized. Hayato Mikogami and Higa Izumi. He growled and asked, "So, you guys are working together?"

Izumi chuckled and said, "Just for now. As soon as you're out of the way we'll see who really takes that Sekirei."

Naruto spat and stood up then said, "Great, well after I'm done with him I'll deal with you two."

Mikogami laughed and said, "Please! Your jonin sensei could barely beat Mutsu with the help of his two Sekirei, you don't stand a chance. Just give up and let me have that Sekirei."

Naruto responded, "Not a chance!"

Mutsu frowned and asked, "Why are you so determined to fight? She's not your Sekirei and you'll never beat me."

Naruto picked up his sword and said with a smirk, "Simple, it's her choice."

"Hah?" Mikogami said in confusion.

Right as he said that a crash was heard, and they watched as Mitsuha fell to the ground nearby, followed by Mitsuki slamming into a sign, falling onto the ground on top of Mitsuha. They were soon followed by Akitsu and Tsukiumi who jumped down to see the others, specifically Naruto covered in injuries.

"Naruto/Husband!" they shouted in unison and ran to his side.

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm alright, just a few small injuries."

Tsukiumi stood and growled, then shouted, "Tell me, who hath done this?!" Hearing a cough she turned to look at Mutsu. She pointed at him angrily and said, "Thee…thee…who art thou?"

There was a unanimous face-fault in response.

Mutsu coughed again and said, "No. 05 Mutsu."

Tsukiumi prepared an attack but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at Naruto, who shook his head. "Why?! Why wouldst thou not permit me to fight?"

"Because, this is my fight, not yours. Yours is…with…" he trailed off as he looked at her and Akitsu's opponents.

They took notice of him at the same time. Looking at him in confusion then shock they shouted, "You! You're that guy from before!"

Tsukiumi twitched an eyebrow and asked lowly, "Pray tell, how dost thee know these hussies?"

Naruto paled and began stuttering, feeling her anger through the bond clear as day.

"Hussies!?" the twins shouted in unison. Mitsuha spoke next, "That Ashikabi of yours transformed into a naked version of us!"

Naruto paled further as a tic mark appeared on Tsukiumi's forehead. He turned to her and said, "W-wait, I can explain!"

Tsukiumi growled but then calmed as she realized an emotion she hadn't expected, actual fear. She tilted her head in confusion and then went pale and thought, '_Oh no! I hath let my anger bring about fear in my husband! How couldst I do such a thing!?_'

Naruto gulped and then noticed Mutsu approaching. He raised his sword behind Tsukiumi and nearly struck, but was stopped by a chakra blade, being held by Kakashi.

"Kakashi!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi eye smiled and said, "Yo, nice to see you." Naruto nodded as Kakashi kicked Mutsu away.

"Explain what you meant!" Mikogami shouted.

Naruto turned to him and said, "Explain what?"

"What you meant about choice," he said annoyed, and obviously curious.

Naruto's smirk returned and he said, "It's Rias' choice who her Ashikabi is. It might be me, or it may in fact be one of the two of you, but it's her choice to make. Nobody has the right to force her to be winged by someone that isn't her Ashikabi, only she can decide that. And I'm fighting you guys because you don't care about her feelings, all you want is to increase your power base and collect more Sekirei, like they're just toys or tools! As long as I can still stand I'll do my best to make that harder for you!"

Rias could barely stand as she heard Naruto's words, her body felt like it would burst into flames at any moment and the mark on her back felt like an inferno trying to melt away her body.

Mutsu began to walk forward but noticed an odd sensation. It subsided immediately so he ignored it and continued walking.

"Mutsu, stop," Mikogami said in a low tone.

Mutsu turned back to his Ashikabi to see his lowered head and merely nodded and sheathed his sword and left with Mikogami.

Izumi scoffed and said, "Pathetic, you really think your little speech is going to affect me? What you say is correct, my Sekirei are practically worthless, their only worth is as enforcers of my orders."

Everyone present glared at him.

He then laughed and said, "What's with those looks? To me, everyone is a pawn, either a stepping stone to help me get what I want or an obstacle to be removed. I will even use Minaka's grand plan as a means to get what I want, and the Sekirei are simply the necessary tools to do it."

Naruto began to tremble and then shouted, "You sick bastard! You really think that everyone else in the world is just your worthless tool!? You make me sick!" Naruto didn't notice but his pupils had become slitted and his irises were flashing between red and blue.

Izumi simply huffed and said, "I have no reason to take such insults from the likes of you."

"There is also nothing you can do about it, attacking a Leaf shinobi is against the law," he paused and glanced at the crowd and then said, "regardless of popular opinion."

Izumi sighed and said, "Very well."

At that moment Toyotama jumped down from the roof, took a passing glance at Izumi and ran to Naruto's side.

Izumi looked at this and his eyes began to fill with rage before he turned and stomped off.

Kakashi sighed and said, "Why don't we get going? I think we're beginning to draw a crowd."

Naruto nodded and attempted to stand, only to stumble. Gritting his teeth he forced himself up, despite his Sekireis' objections. Kakashi watched him leave, stumbling as he walked away and sighed, then thought, '_I can't believe he managed to last that long against one of the first generation Discipline Squad._' He then mindlessly watched as Rias ran to catch up to them. He then shrugged and vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

As they were walking away, Naruto's group stopped when they heard someone call out to them.

Naruto turned and saw Rias approaching. He asked, "What's-" he didn't have time to respond as she pounced on him, something he realized had been happening quite frequently. He noticed that her lips had a distinct sweetness to them, having a unique spice to them with the overall sweet flavor that made him very content. He then watched as multiple large wings of black fire shot from Rias' back.

Of course his present Sekirei shared a reaction, surprise that he had just winged a new bird, with Tsukiumi wondering aloud with a furiously twitching eyebrow, "Just how many doth thou plan to take?"

Naruto then regained his senses as Rias pulled back and sighed, then shouted, "HOW MANY MORE!?" his Sekirei sighing as a result of sharing the same sentiment.

He then took notice of a figure nearby. He realized it was the unknown Sekirei from before and ran over, ignoring his injuries as Kurama was healing them.

"Hey!" he shouted.

She turned and stiffened as he approached then loosened when he neared and asked, "Yes, what do you need?"

Naruto nodded and said, "I just wanted to thank you."

"For?" she asked.

"For helping Rias, she wasn't necessarily my Sekirei at the time but you still helped a friend so I wanted to thank you," he said happily, flinching as Kurama sewed together a rib.

The Storm Sekirei nodded uncomfortably as she began to sweat and said, "I see. I saw what you did and heard what you said before, is all of that really true? Would you have really let Rias go if she truly was reacting to one of them?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and shrugged saying, "Of course. I may not have liked it but it's her decision, it's not my place to stop her. She has the right to make that decision, no one else."

The Sekirei nodded and said with a smile, "I see that, you're very kind indeed. Now I must be going." Without another word she shifted the air below her feet and took off.

Naruto attempted to shout out, "Hey, who are you?!"

She turned back unsure and then called with a smile, "You already know."

Naruto tilted his head and then mumbled, "I hate riddles."

* * *

The group reunited with the rest of his present flock, staring with curiosity and accusation as he attempted to explain its newest member, as well as Sasuke, Yahan, Homura and Sakura.

After seeming to placate his Sekirei, Naruto and the rest returned home to the inn, with Miya naturally waiting at the front door, pretending to sweep. She immediately took notice of everyone's disheveled state, especially Naruto's considering his torn shirt, as well as Musubi's.

As they entered the inn Miya asked, "What happened to you Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said with a chuckle, "Heheh, well…I kinda got into a battle."

Gracefully tilting her head slightly she asked, "With who?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "One of Mikogami's Sekirei named Mutsu."

Naruto barely noticed how Miya's eyes went wide and worried momentarily before returning to their normal state, right before she tapped him on the head with her broom hand and said, "That was very risky, Mutsu is one of the most powerful Sekirei in the game, what if you had gotten seriously hurt?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Sorry Miya. Anyway, why do you care so much? If something had happened you'd have one less tenant to worry about."

Miya sent him a stern look he hadn't seen before and said, "I'd like it if you'd not even joke about that anymore. Each of my tenants are like important to me, I don't wish to see any of them hurt, least of all you…since you have so many to Sekirei that is."

Naruto blinked in surprise at her earnest tone and adopted a frown and said, "I'm sorry Miya, I won't even joke about that I swear. Also," he paused and smiled, "thanks for worrying, even if it was more about my Sekirei than me."

Miya gave a smile that scrunched her eyes, a smile that caused the blonde to redden, and said, "Of course, my tenants are my family, so I care about them."

Naruto simply smiled and nodded.

* * *

Inside Mikogami's home he sat in a large seat with Mitsuha and Mitsuki nearby and asked, "How did you meet that ninja?"

Mitsuha shrugged and said, "It just kind of happened while he was playing with a bunch of kids. Why?"

Mikogami didn't respond for a moment as he looked at his plate of food and then said, "It's nothing, just rampant curiosity."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged in confusion before refocusing on Mikogami.

* * *

Izumi sat in his office, seething. He had just discovered that Naruto had in effect taken two of his Sekirei, he killed one and winged the other. He was quickly realizing Naruto was becoming a problem and that he may need to take extreme measures to deal with him. He walked out of his office and to his receptionist and said, "I want you to contact a friend of mine."

The woman turned and asked, "And who might that be sir?"

"Natsuo Ichinomi."

* * *

Atop his tower, Mikogami looked at his many screens cackling. He had just witnessed the entire procession surrounding Rias and had enjoyed all of it, aside from Hiruzen's interference. He said to himself, "That little hiccup was worth the incredible amusement all of that gave me…even if it did cost me one of my monitors. Oh Naruto, I wonder, what other surprises will you have in store? And what will you do when the game progresses to its next stages?" As he spoke he held a small crystal in his hand.

* * *

**So, why don't you all tell me how that was? Also, I'm sure some people will complain about Naruto's fight with Mutsu. First, there was a point to him doing so poorly, second, Mutsu is at least elite jonin level or more since it took Kakashi, Hibiki, and Hikari all combined to take him down, and that was with only wounding him. Regardless of how good he is, Naruto is high chunin at best and someone of that skill level is far outside his scope, so if you'll accept that we'll be fine. I'd also like to hear your guys' general opinions on the story and how it's going, and the quality of my original story arc as well along with the opinion on how I do my battles. **


	21. New Players

Chapter XXI

**Hello everybody, time for chapter twenty-one. I suppose there isn't a whole lot besides mentioning my coauthor Jose19 so let's get on to reviewer responses.**

**Dez Guardius: I'm glad it gave you a breath of fresh air. I'll do that when I get a chance.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: Who said Naruto's done?**

**ncpfan: Well you'll need to wait and see if that happens. She is rather powerful and you're getting close.**

**Markus-Antonius: He did, though if Mutsu had truly gone all out Naruto likely wouldn't have gotten many hits in. I know, that's why I wasn't too worried about making them too short. Yes, Naruto and a redhead do go well together. It was an interesting conversation wasn't it?  
**

**Jose19: He was, I've got plans for that as you know. And there will be much more comedic, and even a few non-comedic confrontations between Pein and Minaka. Foolhardy, but that's Naruto for you. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he just stood back and watched because he was out of his league. I'm kind of split on Sage Jutsu, I've got some future plans that could interfere with that.**

**friaku: Thank you kindly, and yes, but Naruto won't always be that weak.**

**Strife666: Thanks, I was actually kind of worried that such a massive battle-heavy chapter would get boring since I know several people who find long periods of pure combat dull.**

**Guest: Doubt you'll actually see this but I assure the bashing tendencies with the characters don't last long, I just needed them to be that unsightly in the beginning so their changes would be greatly contrasting.**

**I suppose that's about it so let's get going on the actual story.**

* * *

Minaka watched from his balcony as many new Ashikabi were bonded to Sekirei. He couldn't suppress his cackle at the quick succession of wingings and said excitedly, "Isn't it glorious!? So many birds finding their wings at once! I wonder how these new emergences will affect the game and its current balance! Will they join one of the many premade sides, or will they simply form their own groups and oppose all of the main powers in an attempt to reach the top!? I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!"

Behind him Pein said, "I hope you won't cause anymore interference."

Minaka turned to look at Pein, whose appearance had changed drastically. His hair was no longer short and spiky, it was now long and straight with a different arrangement of facial piercings. He frowned and said in a pout, "You know, you don't need to watch over me at all times."

Pein responded, "But we do. Last time we left you to your own devices you cost us two sacrifices that had yet to reach their full potential and severely delayed the emergence of another. We refuse to let your whims interfere with out plans."

Minaka frowned childishly and said, "You're. No. Fun."

Pein didn't respond.

Today was going great for one Choji Akimichi. During his whole training period with Asuma sensei, Shikamaru spent the whole time playing some complex board game Choji had no interest in. Thanks to that he got to spend the entire time chowing down on potato chips, an act he enjoyed greatly. Once training ended Team Ten was told to head home, meaning that Choji would get to eat his mother's grilled cooking. At least that was his intention. His jovial walk stopped when he heard a scream. He looked towards the scream and then his home and back with confusion, but his decision was made he heard a female voice shout, "STOP!"

Choji grumbled and said, "Ahhh, I can't ignore that!" He immediately ran off to the direction of the voice.

Choji ran towards a park and saw a girl with short, light brown hair and grey eyes with a blue ribbon in her hair wearing a thigh length, tight white gown with black stockings and long black gloves being chased by a young man with short, wild brown hair and narrow black eyes wearing jeans and a green hoodie.

The girl tripped as the man neared and he said, "'Bout time you stopped running."

The girl slinked away and asked, "Why? Why are you doing this?"

He grinned and said, "I know about the plan and I'd much rather have cute girl like you." He proceeded to grab her arm and pull her in close attempting to kiss her, but she pushed her hands into his face to force him off but was having little success due to her weakened state.

Choji glared and charged in shouting, "Leave her alone!"

The hoodied man diverted his attention long enough to watch an oversized fist smash into his face, sending him tumbling.

The girl looked in surprise at the man as he attempted to stand and then looked at Choji, his face blatantly angry.

The man wiped his chin and asked, "Tch, what the hell do you want? You trying to wing her instead?"

Choji simply snarled and said, "I don't know what you're talking about but I know it's wrong to attack a girl."

The man froze in confusion and then laughed hysterically. "A girl? Sorry but she's not just some ordinary girl! And having her will give me a lot of power so I won't let some punk genin take her."

Choji glared and said, "I may just be a genin but I know right from wrong, which you don't seem to."

The man spat and said, "Look fatso, bug off and go play ninja somewhere else."

Choji's eyes dilated as he focused on what the other person said and shouted, "I'M NOT FAT!" He charged forward, making hand signs and shouted, "Partial Expansion Jutsu." He reared back his fist as it doubled in size.

Watching this coming the man said flatly, "Oh I am so fucked."

Choji's oversized fist slammed into the man, sending him hurtling back into the nearby fountain.

Choji panted and his fist shrunk and he said calmly, "That's what happens when you call me…that."

The girl walked over and tapped his shoulder.

He turned and saw her blushing face and couldn't suppress his own. He looked around uncomfortably and asked, "Uhm, are you alright?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, I just wanted to thank you for that."

Choji laughed and said, "Ehehehehhhh, sure. Do you…need anything else?"

A low gurgle signaled her answer as she mumbled, "I could use some food."

Choji gave a thumbs up and said, "I know a great place to get grilled meat!"

Her eyes lit up, but then dimmed as she said, "But I don't have any money."

Choji nodded and said, "It's alright, my parents own the grill, and they don't like to see anyone hungry."

She tilted her head and asked, "Are you sure? It doesn't feel right to just take without giving."

Choji laughed and said, "Don't worry about it…uh…"

The girl blushed heavily and said, "Ohhh, I'm sorry. I am No. 84 Yashima."

Choji asked, "What's with the number?"

Yashima frowned and said, "Well…I can't really tell you because it's a secret."

Choji nodded and said, "Alright then, so how about food?"

Yashima nodded and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

Choji and Yashima quickly arrived at the Akimichi Bar and Grill and Yashima simply sniffed the air and said, "It smells so good."

Choji nodded and said, "It is! My mom is the best cook in the world."

At that moment his mother walked into the doorway and said, "Welcome…home…Cho…ji…," her expression blanked as she took a good look at Yashima and she said weakly, "Wait here."

Choji watched in confusion as Yashima just tilted her head.

Choji's mother was then heard screaming, "CHOZA! OUR SON BROUGHT A GIRL HOME, A PRETTY ONE!"

Choji moaned and Yashima blushed heavily.

Both Choza and Choji's mother exited the house and looked at Yashima. Choza then placed his hands on his son's shoulders and asked, "How did this happen?"

Confused as to what to say, Choji said weakly, "I saw her being assaulted and saved her."

Choza grinned and asked, "And she wanted to pay you back?"

Choji tilted his head and said, "No, she's hungry, I'm hungry and we want to eat."

A dark cloud seem to fall over his parents as his father said weakly, "I…I see. Well then, consider this meal on the house!"

Both Yashima's and Choji's eyes lit up and they asked with unanimous excitement, "You mean it?!"

Choza and Choji's mother gained devious glints in their eyes and Choza said, "Of course! We never turn away the starving!"

Almost as soon as he finished the two were gone and already ordering. Choji's parents watched contently as the two ate happily.

* * *

It took quite some time for Choji and Yashima to finish but when they did the two were perfectly satisfied. Choji then accidently, and unfortunately, let out a loud belch. He closed his eyes expecting ridicule but instead heard laughter. He squinted an eye open and was shell-shocked that, instead of ridiculing his rude behavior, Yashima seemed amused by it and asked, "Aren't…aren't you repulsed by that?"

Wiping away a tear she shook her head and said, "No, not at all. I'm just trying to figure out where it all goes."

Choji laughed embarrassed and said, "Well…that's good."

She nodded and said, "Hey Choji, I wanted to thank you."

Tilting his head, the plump teen asked, "What for?"

"For saving me from that jerk, and for feeding me like that," she said happily.

Choji blushed and said, "D-don't mention it. Besides, my dad always taught me that if I see someone in trouble I should try to help. I usually get scared and run away before I can actually do any good though."

Yashima giggled and said, "Well that obviously didn't happen this time."

Choji grinned and said with renewing confidence, "Yeah…yeah! I guess it didn't."

Yashima nodded and stood up saying, "Thanks for the food, and I'm sorry to run off like this but I need to find my Ashikabi."

"Ashi-whatty?" Choji muttered.

Without answering the brunette left the restaurant.

Choji simply beamed afterwards, his thoughts the remainder of the day running somewhere along the lines of, '_I had lunch with a girl, and not just any girl, a really cute one!_' This renewed energy allowed him to work quite well in the grill.

* * *

However, shortly after dark, Choji was overcome with a sense of foreboding. He couldn't place it but he felt like there was a hole in the pit of his stomach. He thought it was just hunger but quickly decided otherwise and simply took off out of the grill shouting, "Sorry mom! Sorry dad, something just came up!"

Choji's parents stood at the front with his mother cleaning a glass and wondering aloud, "What's gotten into him?"

Choza shrugged and said, "He's a boy, let him roam. He'll be back when he's hungry."

Choji's mother laughed and said, "I suppose you're right."

* * *

Choji ran through the streets, the pit in his stomach growing until he happened upon one of the Leaf's more forested park and his heart sank.

In the middle of the park, Yashima lay in a heap with a large hammer nearby and her clothes dirtied and torn. Next to her two figures, one of which held a sword in his hands, stood as the shorter of the two approached Yashima.

Choji felt an immediate rush of bravado and rage and he charged, going through several hand signs and shouting, "Expansion Jutsu!"

The two figures stopped and watched Choji transform into a giant ball before he began rolling at high speeds shouting, "Human Boulder!"

The taller figure grabbed the shorter and jumped off into the distance, leaving Choji to smash into a large tree nearby. He recovered quickly, however, and immediately ran to Yashima's side and lifted up her torso and said, "Yashima! Yashima, are you alright!?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, her eyes eventually landing on the worried, and slightly bruised, face of Choji. His intense expression combined with her existing reaction caused her to simply act. She draped a hand over his shoulder and pulled him into a kiss, leaving the boy confused and many large blue wings sprouted from her back, lighting up the park.

Choji simply blinked in confusion and made a simply, "Huh?"

Smiling, Yashima said, "You're my Ashikabi, and I'm your Sekirei."

Choji blinked and asked, "Huh?"

* * *

Shikamaru Nara had just finished his daily training with Asuma sensei. It was, as per usual, a drag. He spent the whole time playing shogi while Choji ate and Ino seemed to simply disappear, not that he cared. And his day didn't seem to be improving. After this he needed to go home to his parents, where his mother would likely have chores for him to accomplish, those too were a drag. With a heavy sigh the teen said, "All I want to do is watch the clouds."

Unfortunately for the lazy teen, it seemed his day would not improve as when he walked by a side alleyway, a dagger came flying out, nearly impaling his head. But rather than freak out or something like that he simply murmured, "What a drag."

Looking down the alleyway Shikamaru saw a young woman with short black hair and dark grey eyes wearing a sleeveless, purple belly shirt with a turtle neck that accentuated her prominent bust, dagger holsters on her upper arms with the number 72 tattooed on her right shoulder in red along with bicep length, fingerless blue gloves and purple shorts with a blue skirt over them standing with an expression somewhere between frightened and exhausted. Narrowing his eyes he thought, '_Based on that accuracy she's skilled with kunai, and she wears an outfit made for swift movement. Not sure what the number is for but her dirty appearance combined with her expression means she's probably running. I'm not sure what from and I'm not sure I want to know. But life being the drag that it is I'm bound to find out anyway._' He sighed and asked, "Mind telling me why you threw this kunai at me?"

Her expression loosened and then became apologetic and she bowed deeply before collecting her kunai and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm just running from some people and reacted when I saw someone coming down the path."

Shikamaru looked at her blankly then said, "Just try to size up your target next time before hurling those things." He stopped when he felt a hand on his sleeve and sighed as he thought, '_This is such a drag._' He turned and asked, "What do you need?"

She looked at his upper arm and asked, "You're a ninja right?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and said, "Just a genin but yes. Why do you want to know?"

Shifting in her spot she said, "Well…if you're a ninja you could help me. Look, I really don't want to fight these people but they won't stop chasing me. But if they see I'm in the custody of a shinobi they'll back off."

Shikamaru sighed and asked, "Why would I take you in to custody?"

"For…assaulting a Leaf shinobi, even if it was accidental?" she posited.

Shikamaru scratched his cheek and said, "If I were a chunin or higher I could but genin can't make arrests. So unfortunately I can't help you."

She frowned and said, "But they won't know you're not a chunin. Look, this is all I need then I can go looking for my Ashikabi and stay out of your hair for good."

The pineapple haired teen sighed heavily and said, "What a drag, fine I'll help you but just this once."

She smiled and said, "Thanks. I'm No. 72 Natsu."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and wondered, '_She identified herself with a number. And it was the same number she has tattooed on her shoulder. I'm really getting a feeling that this will permanently disrupt my cloud watching._' He sighed and said, "Well in that case I'll take you to the Hokage."

Natsu nodded and followed behind as he led her to the Hokage tower.

* * *

As they walked along, they heard a commotion behind them. They turned and saw two people running towards them, Hibiki and Hikari.

Natsu tensed and said, "They're the ones that were chasing me!"

Shikamaru looked from Natsu to the twins and sighed. He then grabbed Natsu's hand and said, "Come on." He took her and ran down an alley.

Hikari snarled and said, "Ya know I'm really getting tired of these Sekirei running off with humans like that."

Hibiki nodded and said, "That alley has only one exit, I'll chase after them you cut them off."

Hikari nodded and leapt up above the trees to reach the end of the alleyway before Shikamaru and Natsu with Hibiki chasing after them.

* * *

Shikamaru took Natsu down the alleyway, looking around and thought with a smirk, '_Perfect, those trees provide just enough shade._' Hikari then landed in front of them at the end of the alley with Hibiki running up behind them.

Hikari glared and said, "Alright kiddo hand over the girl and you can run on home."

Shikamaru grit his teeth and said, "Well, I'm a little too involved to just run, don't you think?"

Hikari snickered and said, "Fine, then we'll just fry you." She raised her hand as purple electricity started sparking.

Shikamaru glanced behind him to see the same thing with Hibiki. He narrowed his eyes and squeezed Natsu's hand.

The twins raised their hands and simultaneously shot lightning bolts at the duo.

Immediately Shikamaru and Natsu dove to the side, allowing the lightning to pass over them. Natsu then stood and, with a growl, pushed Shikamaru away and said, "Move, you're in the way!"

Shikamaru groaned as he slammed into the wall and fell unconscious.

Hibiki smirked and said, "Smart, getting that liability out of the way. Too bad it won't help."

Natsu raised a knife in her hand and said, "We'll see."

Hikari smirked and fired a lightning bolt.

Natsu leapt to the side, landing on one of the walls and tossed two of her knives.

Hikari jumped up above to daggers and threw an electrified punch at Natsu.

Natsu responded by leaping over to Hibiki's location, resulting in the pink clad twin punching at her as Hikari approached. Natsu spun under her punch which caused the twins to bump into each other.

They turned to chase Natsu but found they couldn't move, anything.

"Hey! What the hell, I can't move!" Hikari shouted in annoyance. She managed to force her head behind her and saw Shikamaru kneeling behind them his hand in the ne sign. Hikari leered and said, "What the hell, I thought you were knocked out!"

Shikamaru smirked and said, "I ran down this alleyway because of the intermittent shade provided by the trees. I also knew you two would chase us by having one of you chase us and the other would cut us off, since that would be the most efficient strategy to catch us. I could also tell that the purple one of you two is really impulsive. So, I had Natsu push me into the wall and pretend to go unconscious so you two would ignore me and attached my Shadow Possession to you, but let you move free until you came into contact with your sister and bound you both."

This time Hibiki shouted, "You little brat! How the hell'd you come up with all that!?"

Shikamaru smirked and said, "It's a drag but it was less guilt-filled than letting you capture her and do whatever it is you were planning on doing."

Everyone froze as slow clapping was heard, Natsu turned and everyone else looked forward to see Kakashi walking toward them. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and the Lightning Twins paled. Natsu just watched in confusion as Kakashi walked by.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets and said, "I thought I told you two about this."

Trembling, Hikari said, "S-sorry, Kakashi."

Kakashi said, "I'll deal with punishment later. But as for you, Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru began to sweat, expecting a reprimand.

"…good work."

Shikamaru's jutsu shattered and the twins fell over and he said, "W-wha?"

Kakashi eye-smiled and said, "Though this wasn't a mission or anything that could be put on the record your ability to think ahead and plan are superb for a genin. I'll make sure Asuma knows about this so he can help with those skills."

Shikamaru sweat-dropped and thought, '_Great, more work. What a drag._'

Kakashi looked at the twins and said, "Now, why don't you two come with me?"

They followed him with their heads slumped and their shoulders dropped.

Shikamaru sighed and stood up saying, "Well, that was annoying."

"Thank you!" Natsu said, wrapping him in a hug.

Shikamaru blushed due to unintentional contact she was giving and said, "H-hey, let go!"

Natsu backed off and said, "Thank you for helping me. Why did you do it? Weren't you scared, being only a genin and all?"

Shikamaru sighed and said, "My dad's always telling me to help a girl in trouble, so I helped because the guilt of not helping is too much of a drag. As for scared, being scared takes too much energy."

Natsu tilted her head and mumbled, "You weren't scared because it's too tiring?" Her lips twitched before she grabbed her sides and started laughing out loud.

Shikamaru sweat-dropped and asked, "What's so funny?"

Suppressing her laughter she responded, "I've never met someone who's too lazy to get scared."

Shikamaru grumbled and said, "Well, think you're okay now?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, thanks again. If you hadn't shown up I'm sure they would have captured me. It wouldn't have ended well."

Shikamaru shrugged and asked, "Mind telling me why exactly they were chasing you?"

Natsu frowned and said, "Unfortunately I can't, it's a secret."

He shrugged and said, "Fine by me. It'd probably be a drag to get involved anyway."

Natsu chuckled and said quietly, "You're an interesting one." Natsu frowned and then ran ahead of Shikamaru and said, "Shikamaru, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for-" his question remained unfinished as Natsu wrapped him in a kiss.

As the kiss continued a plume of large blue wings extended from her back, bathing the entire area in a bright light.

Natsu pulled away from Shikamaru, leaving the teen dumbstruck as he sighed and said, "What a drag."

Natsu could do little more than giggle happily.

* * *

Inside the Hyuga compound, Hinata was training with her father in the Gentle Fist style. Although to an outsider this training would look more like a beating as Hinata was ruthlessly and effortlessly pushed back by her father, getting knocked back and slammed into the floor.

To the side, a member of the branch family with long brown hair reaching his waist and was tied a few inches above the end in a ponytail; he had lavender, near pupiless eyes, he wore a white shirt with loose sleeves that closed on the right shoulder with a fastener that ran down the right side and matching pants with a dark apron. This was Neji Hyuga. He watched as the supposed heiress to the Hyuga clan trained with her father and was doing little more than getting beaten around like a punching bag. To know that that was the clan's future made him fume. Sighing he stood up and thought, '_There's nothing I can do. Fate favors the main family rather than the branch families._' As he walked off another Hyuga saw him leave and said, "Neji! Neji, where are you going!?"

Of course Neji was far gone by the time he shouted his question.

* * *

Deciding to take out his frustration with his poisoned fate on a training dummy, Neji activated his clan's visual jutsu. He made a half sign and said, "Byakugan!" The veins in his face popped and his eyes shifted as his jutsu activated. Honing in on the training dummy he began striking it multiple times, simply going through the motions as his thoughts drifted. First they drifted to Hinata, the weak and pathetic heir to the Hyuga clan, at least as he saw her. He couldn't understand how just because she was born into the main family that someone so obviously inferior to himself was chosen as heir, while he would need to watch from sidelines as she caused the Hyuga's downfall. Then they shifted to the source of that particular thorn, Hinata's father Hiashi. Hiashi was the current head of the Hyuga clan, as well as the reason that Hinata was the heir, since she was his firstborn child. This knowledge increased his fury, he continued striking the dummy with greater speed and force. His anger continued to rise as he drifted to one other thought, the entire reason he was not the heir. This reason was that Hiashi's brother, Neji's father, was born second, making him and Neji a branch member. Meaning it was yet again fate's intervention that made him a second class citizen in the Hyuga clan. One last thought filled his mind, how Hiashi had betrayed Neji's father, resulting in his death, and making Neji realize that fate had a firm grip on people's lives with little they could do. All of these thoughts swirled and boiled until finally he launched a high powered Gentle Fist strike that splintered the training dummy into many pieces.

Neji panted heavily as he recovered from his exertion but tensed when his Byakugan made him aware of another presence. He calmed himself and straightened his back and said calmly, "You can come out, I know you're there."

He turned to see a girl walk out from behind one of the nearby trees. She had long brown hair the was wild around her shoulders but tied with a white ribbon into two ponytails at the neck that extended to her waist with grey eyes wearing a red top with a white collar that holds it up leaving her back bare with a white cloth wrapped around her waist and red gloves and stockings with white trim. The last thing he noticed was a large white and red battleax across her back.

Neji simply narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why were you spying on me?"

She frowned and said, "Well, I was watching you train and could tell you were sad, so I thought maybe I could help."

Neji scoffed as he walked away and said, "Why would a commoner worry about a Hyuga not from the main branch? Besides, what you say won't change the plans fate has for me."

The girl frowned and said as he walked by, "Well…maybe if we just talked it would cheer you up. I'm No. 73 Namiji."

Neji merely ignored her and continued walking, Namiji followed.

Neji walked several feet and noticed Namiji's steps. Successfully ignoring it he turned a corner, Namiji still followed, resulting in an eyebrow twitch from the Hyuga.

This dance continued for several minutes, Namiji silently following Neji through every twist and turn, causing Neji to become more annoyed until he turned and asked, "Why are you following me?"

Not flinching at all she responded, "Because, I can tell you're sad and angry. And I think I can help, after all a Sekirei's role is to aid their Ashikabi, and I want to help you to not feel so sad."

Neji's eyes widened in surprise and he then shouted, "Why do you care!? I'm nothing more than a lowly branch member! The general populace only cares about the main branch, so why don't you go and bother them and leave me alone!? I need no help from anyone!"

Namiji simply stood quietly as his shouting quieted down and he turned to panting.

His panting soon began to become strained before he balled his fists, and tears began to fall down his cheeks.

Namiji slowly walked over to him and said, "Nobody can last on their own." She then placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him on the lips, surprising the teen; he was even further surprised when large wings of light sprouted from her back in a brilliant display.

He simply looked at her dumbstruck and asked, "Why?"

She smiled and said, "Simple, you're my Ashikabi and I'm your Sekirei."

Neji for a brief moment felt a small pang of joy in his heart. However his emotions fell as his logical mind analyzed the situation and he said plainly, "Then it was fate's decision for this to happen, as it always is."

Neji then walked away with Namiji following close behind. As they walked Namiji thought, '_I will help you feel that happiness again, but this time it will be permanent._'

* * *

"Primary Lotus!" Rock Lee shouted as he drove a large log into the ground with enough force to shatter it into pieces.

Lee, a teenage boy with thick eyebrows, and round, black eyes with prominent lower lashes, sporting black hair in a bowel cut, wearing a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers, bandages around his wrists stood from his attack and rewound the bandages on his wrists.

Gai walked over and gave him a thumbs up and said, "Great work Lee. You've learned that move well. However, there is something about that move you should know."

Lee nodded and said, "Yes, Gai sensei."

"That move causes massive damage to your opponent as well as great strain on your own body, so it is only to be used when a friend or someone important to you is in trouble, understand? You are to use it at no other time," Gai said, his usual energy replaced with a dead serious tone.

Lee nodded again and, with a salute, said, "I understand Gai sensei. I will only use the Primary Lotus to protect my friends."

Gai gave a nice guy pose and said, "I'm glad you take this so seriously Lee, you make me proud to be your teacher."

With his hands clasped together and anime tears streaming from his face, Lee said, "Oh Gai sensei."

"Lee,"Gai said with his own anime tears.

"Gai sensei."

"Lee."

"Gai sensei!"

"Lee! Let your flames of youth burn like the sun and guide you down the righteous path!"

At that moment the two green clad men put their hands on each other's shoulders in a heartwarming, and sickening, manner as a rocky shore materialized around them with a setting sun in the distance illuminating the ocean as waves crashed in front of them. This was the duo's infamous Sunset Genjutsu that is notorious for its lethality, inability to dispel and how even the mightiest of the tailed beasts has been subdued by its immense power.

* * *

After finishing their…ritual the two parted ways with Lee returning to his residence.

Along the way he became aware of a commotion and, his desire to protect taking over, he went to investigate.

Upon arrival he saw three people locked in battle, a two on one battle; an unfair fight that Lee was greatly opposed to.

All three combatants were Sekirei, though Lee was not aware of this. The first was a man in a long black cloak with shoulder length wild hair wielding a massive sword, the other was a spindly woman with black hair and a skimpy black dress wielding two daggers that could launch their blades attached to ninja wire.

The other combatant was a teen girl with short, wild light red hair and brown eyes wearing a tight fitting yellow jumpsuit with black sleeves and thigh length boots, she also had a red Sekirei crest printed on the left hip.

Lee saw the Sekirei with the sword approaching from behind and ran in shouting, "Leaf Whirlwind!" His entrance was delivering an aerial roundhouse kick that sent the man tumbling along the ground, leaving the knife wielder and redhead confused.

The man stood and wiped the blood from his chin and said, "You're going to regret that."

Lee got into an Iron Fist stance and said, "I doubt it."

The man smirked and said, "Let's see how confident you are when I chop you in half!" He rushed forward and made a horizontal slice that Lee jumped over to dodge. Lee came back down with an axe kick.

The large man brought up the broad side of his sword and blocked the kick then tossed Lee to the side, the boy flipping himself midair and skidding along the ground to recover. The man charged with a vertical slice and shouted, "Let's see you dodge this!"

Lee managed to spin out of the way as the sword crashed to the ground and delivered a series of powerful blows to the man's torso and head, knocking him backwards several feet.

The man stood with his head cocked back as he pulled it forward and asked with an insane grin, "That all?"

Lee grit his teeth and thought, '_I am sorry Gai sensei, but the only way I can see to defeat this enemy is to use that technique._' He rushed towards the larger man and dove into sliding kick that knocked the man into the air. As if teleporting Lee appeared behind him as the bandages on his arms wrapped the man like a mummy. The Lee crossed his arms over the man's torso and locked them together, aiming both himself and the swordless sword wielder at the ground as they began to spin and spin until they were an indistinct blur. Moments from the ground Lee shouted, "Primary Lotus!" and instantly released the man both from his grip and the bandages, sending him smashing into the ground kicking up dust and debris.

The other Sekirei saw this and shouted, "Satoshi!" She ran over to Lee, whose body was drained from the attack and delivered a spin kick, followed by a backhand ending in a foot smash that sent him tumbling right to the feet of the yellow clad Sekirei.

She knelt down and asked, "Why?"

Lee smirked and said, "It is my duty to help those in need."

The Sekirei's face began to heat up as did her neck. She smiled at Lee and said, "I am No. 86 Katsuragi."

Lee tried to ask what that meant but before he could Katsuragi claimed his lips, resulting in several wings of green light to emerge from her back.

"Shit, she's emerged," the knife wielding Sekirei complained in a curse. She smirked and raised a knife saying, "Well then, I'll just cut them both down."

Katsuragi stood up, her usual expressionless face changed to one of determination as her body emitted a faint light, followed by her kicking off from her position at high speeds and saying, "By the fist of my contract, my Ashikabi's foes will fall like flies. Iron Fist!" Her right fist reared back and was encased in chakra, she then shot it forward at the knife wielder who could only mutter, "Uh-oh," before Katsuragi's fist sent her crashing into a wall with her clothes tattered and her crest dissolving.

Katsuragi's face returned to normal as she went over to Lee's side.

He then asked, "What was that?"

Katsuragi sported a small smile as she said, "My norito, the proof that I am yours."

Lee stared in confusion for several seconds then asked lamely, "So…does that mean we're girlfriend and boyfriend?"

Donning a light blush she nodded in the affirmative.

Lee then began to cry anime tears as he pumped a fist and shouted, "I DID IT GAI SENSEI! I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

Katsuragi simply giggled and thought, '_It seems I've received a very interesting Ashikabi._'

Lee continued to cheer as Katsuragi simply watched.

* * *

Shino Aburame was a teenager with a long grey hooded coat, another darker coat underneath with a high collar covering his mouth, dark pants and dark round sunglasses who was sitting underneath a shady tree watching the insects move along the outside.

Seemingly oblivious or impervious to the many insults such as, "Look, isn't he from that clan that has bugs inside their bodies?" "What a weirdo, look he's just watching those bugs," "Stay away from him, his parasitic insects could infect you too," Shino seemed content to sit and watch the ants walk and play. After a few minutes however, even Shino's aloof guards fell and he couldn't take the insults and decided to leave.

As he walked he bumped into something. When he opened his eyes he saw that the something was a teenage girl with blonde hair and grey eyes wearing a tight leather top with horizontal black and purple stripes that exposed both her midriff and her collarbone along with leather bloomers and thigh length stockings as well as shoulder length fingerless gloves with the same pattern that had multiple long threads attached to the top which ended with large curved blades that she kept stowed on her belt.

She rubbed her sore head and then snarled, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Shino simply looked at her in surprise as they stood.

Getting annoyed with his silent demeanor she said, "Hey buddy, you want to start something?"

Shino responded plainly, "No. It's just strange that you aren't scared or repulsed by me."

She folded her arms and asked, "And I should give a damn because…?"

Shino raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know who I am, or more specifically what clan I am from?"

The teen spat and said, "No, and why should I?"

"Perhaps. Many are aware of my family's special ability, the fact that we have parasitic insects that we control and that feed off our chakra. Most are afraid of my family because of this and others tend to either ignore us or call us bug people," Shino responded in his same emotionless tone.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "And? Why should I care what odd hobbies your family practices?"

Shino nodded and said, "I see."

"I'm No. 31 Sai by the way," Sai said plainly.

"Shino Aburame," he responded.

Sai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wait, so you're from the Aburame clan? Does that mean you collect bugs to use in your abilities?"

Shino frowned and thought, '_Wonderful, now she's going to leave like the rest._' He tentatively responded, "Yes."

Sai shrugged and said, "Whatever."

Shino looked at her in shock, though his attire made that hard to discern.

She then continued, "I actually used to collect them myself back when I lived with my sister Sekirei Shi. I usually used them to torment her since it was the least boring thing I could do in that damned facility."

Shino then asked, "So you don't find me repulsive?"

Sai scrunched her brow and said, "No, and why should I? All that means is I have a walking prank farm."

Shino sweat-dropped at her words and said, "Thank you."

Sai looked at him lightly confused and asked, "What, does everyone treat you like crap just because of the bug thing?"

He nodded.

Sai frowned and said, "I wouldn't. In fact I think having you around might make my time here manageably amusing." She then did something that the teen never could have predicted. She unzipped the part of his coat that hid his mouth and kissed him on the lips. Doing so caused several crescent shaped wings to emerge from her back and for Shino to feel a portion of his chakra get drained. After that she said, "There, now you won't feel lonely and I'll have easy access to entertainment."

Shino simply looked at her with a dumbstruck expression.

* * *

Team Ten arrived at training field ten for their normal training, that is Asuma and Shikamaru play shogi, Choji chows down on potato chips and Into fawns over a picture of what everyone assumes is Sasukem but was in fact Ino's new favorite person. But as they arrived, Ino became aware of something strange. That being the girls Shikamaru and Choji had with them. Ino investigated them in confusion. She then noticed the Sekirei crest on Yashima's dress and thought, '_What, when did they become Ashikabi?_'

Shikamaru looked over at Choji and wondered the same thing; Choji was simply too giddy to care, a feeling that transferred to Yashima.

Everyone's attention shifted to Asuma when he vegan chuckling. Ino raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

Asuma smiled at his students and said, "It seems the entire team is now composed of Ashikabi."

That got everyone's attention, and worried Yashima and Natsu.

Asuma looked at Ino and said, "Why don't you call out your Sekirei?"

Ino nodded and turned, then cupped a hand to her mouth and shouted, "Shiina, Ku!"

On que the two exited their hiding spot, Shiina walking and Ku running before jumping into Ino's arms.

Shikamaru looked at Ino in confusion and said, "Ino."

She played with Ku and responded with a simple, "Hmm?"

"Is she your Sekirei?" he asked.

Mostly ignoring him while playing with Kusano she said, "Yup."

"Ino," he said plainly.

She turned and responded, "What?"

"She's a little girl," he said flatly.

Ino smiled with an eyebrow twitch and said, "Say no more or die."

Shikamaru sweat-dropped and said, "Touchy subject."

Asuma sweat-dropped and said, "Play nice. Anyway, it seems you've all winged Sekirei by now, though only Ino seems to have had a length of time with hers."

"Wait, do you mean Ino's been an Ashikabi longer than me or Shikamaru?" asked Choji.

Asuma nodded and said, "It also seems that she wins when it comes to numbers."

Ino laughed uncomfortably as her teammates simply smirked before a wind picked up around Asuma, followed by a small twister just over his shoulder; a sultry voice saying, "But it terms of power and sex appeal, Asuma's got all of you beat."

Team Ten's jaws nearly dropped when Kazehana appeared out of the small twister in her usual outfit, even the lazy Nara found himself having to pinch his nose.

Asuma chuckled and said, "Ah, somehow I knew you'd show up."

Kazehana wrapped her arms around him and said gleefully, "But of course, I can't just have you letting all the kiddies have the fun."

Ino pointed at the busty, purple-clad woman and asked, "A-Asuma sensei, is she…your?"

He simply nodded and said, "Yup, though how it happened is a bit…" he trailed off as an embarrassed blush came to his face, "different."

* * *

_Asuma and Kazehana had been seeing each other for about a week since their initial meeting and were sitting inside one of the bars on the north side of the village, one of the most stable in terms of Sekirei conflicts._

_Due to his position as elite jonin Asuma was aware of the Sekirei plan along with having discovered Kazehana was a Sekirei thanks to a duo of Sekirei that attempted to terminate her and whom were soundly driven away._

_It was after that little encounter that the two decided to stop into the bar, mainly because Kazehana personally enjoyed their sake. At that moment the duo were simply speaking about Asuma's most recent training meeting with Team Ten._

"_And, Choji attempted to strike the dummy with his palm, but ended up getting knocked over when it swung back," Asuma said with a slightly inebriated jovial tone._

_Kazehana chuckled and said, "It at least seems life around your team is never boring."_

_With a small chuckle the jonin said, "That is very true. Not only that, but because each is the heir to the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio there are high expectations from their families, so I need to push them just a little harder than the other teams I've had."_

_Kazehana noted the slight melancholy accompanied with the words and asked, "You don't like pushing them that far, do you?"_

_Asuma laughed quietly and said, "No, they're young, and they need to get a bit more motivated first. For now trying to push them just ends in a mess."_

_Kazehana brought a hand up to mouth and said with a chuckle, "Perhaps they need to become Ashikabi."_

_Asuma blinked in confusion and then busted out in laughter and said, "Right, I think it would be best to wait on that, forcing someone to mature too quickly can be disastrous."_

_Kazehana nodded and said, "Just like feeling heartbreak can do."_

_Asuma raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh, and what would a beauty like you know about heartbreak?"_

_Kazehana laughed and said, "More than you'd think, the first man I fell in love with had absolutely no interest, he was already involved with another. I'm sure you can imagine what it's like to have such strong feelings for another and be denied."_

_Asuma's smirk lowered and he said with a nod, "While slightly different, I can understand that feeling."_

_Kazehana smiled sadly and asked, "Want to share with another drunk soul?"_

_Asuma laughed again and said, "You sure have an interesting way of wording things."_

_She smiled slyly and said, "So I've heard. Now, care to share?"_

"_That focus would be my father, though it's more of a personal problem than him, he's the Hokage after all," Asuma told her._

"_At least that's what you tell yourself?" Kazehana said more than asked and then added, "That's pretty much how I felt about that man until I pretty much descended into sake."_

_Asuma looked at her in surprise and then smiled sadly and, with a nod, said, "I suppose. But, that's what I have my duties as jonin sensei for." He turned and said with a sigh, "Well…I need to get back to my place, got some more training to take care of tomorrow. Heheh, I want to get the hangover out of the way before I have to deal with three lazy teenagers."_

_He walked out with Kazehana wrapped on his arm and asked, "Want me to take you back to the inn?"_

_Kazehana looked up at the tall man and nodded with a smile._

* * *

_ The couple reached the inn soon after and Kazehana turned to him, with her arms behind her back and said, "Well, I suppose this is where we part ways."_

_He nodded and said, "So it is." With a wave he walked by and began to leave the premises when he heard a thud. He turned to see Kazehana collapsed on the ground. He ran over and checked on her. He sighed and gave a slight chuckle at her condition; she was passed out from alcohol consumption. Sighing again he picked her up bridal style and carried her into the inn._

* * *

_ He entered the front door and was greeted by Miya saying, "My, my what happened to her?"_

_Chuckling Asuma said, "Just drank a little much, that's all."_

_Miya raised an eyebrow and then narrowed her eyes but quickly assumed her usual composure with a closed eye smile and said, "I see. Well just take her to her room and I'll handle her when she wakes up."_

_Asuma nodded and said, "Sure." Looking down at the sleeping Sekirei he said wistfully, "She must be a handful."_

_Miya nodded and said, "Oh, she is. But she at least helps keep things interesting since Naruto and the others are off in the Land of Waves."_

_He nodded and said, "I suppose. Well I'll deliver her to her room and then take my leave."_

_Miya simply nodded as he made his way up the stairs. If he had turned around before reaching the top he may have noticed her delicate frown._

* * *

_Deftly using his foot to open the door, and attempting not to fall flat on his ass, an act made much more difficult due to the alcohol flowing through his blood, he walked in and laid her down on the simple futon. It was then he noticed something new about her condition; her cheeks were flushed, as was expected with inebriation, but her breathing was also sharp and shallow and she sweating heavily._

_He knelt down to her and placed a hand on her forehead. His eyes widened and he said, "You're burning up. I didn't think Sekirei could get sick."_

"_She's not sick, she's reacting."_

_Asuma turned to the doorway and saw Miya standing with her arms held close, a worried expression on her face._

_Asuma sighed and said, "Well, that's not good."_

_Miya asked, "Who do you think it is?"_

_Asuma smirked defeated and said, "Who do you think?"_

_Miya then asked, "Then what makes this bad?"_

"_I'm not sure I can handle her along with my job as a jonin," Asuma said with a sigh. He rubbed his head in annoyance and said, "Well, what would you…suggest…" He trailed off as Miya had seemingly vanished. "What is she, a ghost?"_

"_Asuma?"_

_He looked down and saw Kazehana lying in her flushed state and said, "Why?"_

_She chuckled and said, "Maybe it's the same thing that caused me to fall for him. But, unlike him, I won't be letting you go."_

_Asuma wondered what she meant but was quickly enveloped in a kiss, swiftly relenting into it as her wings sprouted from her back in a bright display._

* * *

_ Downstairs, Miya was chopping vegetables and stopped momentarily, then resumed her actions._

* * *

Team Ten sat slack-jawed at the story. Ino was the first to respond with a heavy, "You've got to be joking. You can't even have a decent ending?"

Asuma laughed as Kazehana leaned on his shoulder and said, "I said it was interesting, not storybook."

Ino simply sighed and said, "Why can't I have a normal sensei?"

* * *

Team Nine reached their training grounds, one particular member walking around with hearts in his eyes.

As soon as they arrived, they all took notice of each other. Tenten saw the two girls that Lee and Neji had, and they each saw each other's Sekirei; though Neji could see plainly that Lee didn't seem to care.

A moment later and Gai appeared in the field, he too noticed his male students' new companions, although Hiruzen had already informed him of their new Ashikabi status. He looked to Lee and was about to speak when the mini-Gai shouted, "Gai sensei, I did it!"

His teammates just blinked in curiosity as Gai asked, "And what would that be Lee?"

Motioning his hands at the placid Katsuragi, Lee exclaimed, "I got a girlfriend!"

Katsuragi's face remained placid but tinted red at his exclamation.

Gai threw his hand over Lee's shoulder and said, "Way to go Lee!"

"Thank you Gai sensei!"

"You're welcome Lee!"

"Gai sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Uh-oh," Tenten deadpanned.

Neji merely grumbled and said, "Namiji, cover your eyes, you're no use to me blind."

The two Green Beasts then activated their sunset genjutsu, causing Tenten to hide behind a tree, Namiji behind Neji, and Katsuragi merely smiled at her Ashikabi's happiness, oblivious to the bloody tears from her eyes.

Neji just grumbled and said, "Ridiculous."

After ending their genjutsu and allowing their teammates/students to recover Gai and Lee returned to their normal position and Gai said, "Well, it seems Team Nine has two new members."

Tenten raised a hand and asked, "How? I don't recognize them and aren't our teams supposed to be just three plus a sensei?"

Gai nodded and said, "Normally, but this is a special case. And unfortunately I can't say more."

Tenten frowned suspiciously but relented, her unorthodox sensei wasn't one for elaboration when he had something he wanted to do none of.

With that Gai said, "Right, now let's begin training."

* * *

Team Eight convened in their training grounds, and both Hinata and Kiba were keenly aware Shino, specifically his new companion. Hinata looked at her rather flagrant outfit and became embarrassed.

Sai felt the gaze on her and said, "What, something wrong?"

Hinata shrunk back and shook her head vigorously.

Kurenai arrived on the field as well and immediately saw Sai. She frowned at the girl's obvious lack of decency and prepared to confront her, but then remember the Hokage talking about the Sekirei and saw the symbol on Sai's back. She frowned as she realized what was happening and then noticed the group in the trees on the edge of the field and noticed how they kept their eyes on Kiba. Every hair on her neck stood up when she caught not only Kujika's outfit, but what barely hid. At that point she was fuming and stomped out into the field, ready to berate both Kiba and Shino for allowing their Sekirei to wear such revealing clothing.

Her students were conversing, mainly about Sai and her connection to Shino, but stopped with a cough from Kurenai.

She looked sternly at the male sides of her squad and said, "I wish to speak with both of you."

They nodded uneasily and followed her, Sai directly behind.

Hinata simply watched in curiosity and then cringed as pained screams came from the woods on the edge of the field.

* * *

**And that's chapter twenty-one. I know not very much happened story wise but I kind of wanted to show the other characters for a bit and I wanted to shift focus from the heavy action surrounding Naruto for just a bit.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think of the chapter, the story, or anything in general pertaining to the fic.**


	22. Hatred

Chapter XXII

**Hello everybody, hope the wait wasn't too bad. Well, here's chapter twenty-one for your enjoyment, or criticism if that's your thing. I'm curious as to what you guys will think of this one, since it has a pretty big twist in it. Anyway I can't say a whole lot more besides thanking my coauthor Jose19, and a certain someone, you know who you are, for helping me with ideas and to mention a new story I just started called Naruto: Rise of the True Phoenix Dragon, a Naruto High School DxD crossover. With that done let's get to the responses.**

**ncpfan: I felt the same way, I pretty much just wanted something a little less serious, especially before this chapter. The Storm Sekirei will need a little later for her to develop further. Don't worry, his relationship with those around him will get more focus soon. I can't say too much about Akitsu except this, the Sekirei crest forces the Norito, or their ability cap.**

**Dragon Man 180: Sorry, I was even sketchy about doing Ino and Kusano, so I won't be doing anymore girl on girl or guy on guy Ashikabi Sekirei bonds. I had thought about making her a Sekirei but quickly decided against it, so she won't become Naruto's Sekirei. Oh, you'll see some development for Hinata's mother, very soon too. I can assure you that it is...different. I will be doing some more scenes with Ku, and a scene like that isn't a bad idea.**

**FrancisVampire0822: I can't tell if you enjoyed it or not, and there is definitely more excitement in this chapter. A lot more.**

**Strife666: I haven't seen any images that make Natsu seem that way, she seems rather average for a Sekirei. I do remember a very buff Sekirei but I don't remember it being Natsu.**

**Guest: For several reasons. A) several people mentioned wanting to see the other characters getting their Sekirei. B) I wanted a less serious chapter to get between that one and this one. I don't see how it's forced, it's just them getting their Sekirei.**

**Jose19: I did consider him getting Sage Mode, but I've got things going on later that make it seem like it wouldn't really be needed but we'll see. I do know that, I keep up with the manga.**

**blue-hart: Thanks. I've got that for later in the story so you're going to need to wait a while.**

**Fallen-Ryu: I never really took that into consideration. Unfortunately if Hiruzen did that then Minaka would simply pull all of the Sekirei out. It would be difficult but Hiruzen isn't interested in seeing some other village get the Sekirei as a weapons force, so for the time being he'll just let them be until the game starts to threaten the village.**

**SkyShredder: You'd be surprised how many people didn't even seem to not even consider Kakashi, you're one of the few.**

**Alright, I think this is it for now. With that finished it's time for the actual story, enjoy.**

* * *

Naruto stirred from a slumber in his room in the inn, or at least that's what he thought he was doing, as he got and looked around he realized the place was deserted. Blinking in confusion he said, "Uhm…hello?"

After not receiving an answer he sweat-dropped and said, "Heheh, that's not…creepy."

He wandered around the inn for several minutes, not seeing anyone around. He knocked on Sasuke's door, slid it open slightly and peered in. He opened it fully and huffed in annoyance as no one was present. He repeated the process with every room in the inn, even Miya's, finding it too empty.

Then he realized something else, not only were the rooms empty of people but there were no items either. He stood in shock as he began to tremble and said, "N-no, this can't be."

He bolted up the stairs and over to Matsu's room. He knocked on it and shouted, "Matsu! Matsu it's me, open up!" He got no response and so he acted instantly, barging in.

His heart sank as he realized it too was empty, not even her computers.

* * *

With a heavy sigh he moved to the living room and flopped down, he then mumbled, "Where is everyone." His eyes then shot wide and he thought, "No, they couldn't have…" He then ran for the door and threw it open. He was met by the most powerful gust of wind he had ever felt. He moved his arms down from his eyes and looked out upon the village in shock.

There was a massive tornado ripping through the village, tearing up everything in its path. He looked in disbelief as the village of his home was torn asunder. Then he heard a voice say, "This is your fault."

He turned to look and just as he focused on the entity, he blacked out.

* * *

Naruto's body trembled slightly as he awoke, this time in Izumo Inn for real. Looking around he saw his many Sekirei on and around his bed. Relieved he gave a heavy sigh and said with a content smile, "Good, just a dream." After his initial relief wore off he became aware of something else. A rather peculiar sensation on his left side.

He looked down and noticed a lump under the blanket directly next to him. He couldn't identify it since whoever it was, was obscured from view. He looked around and took count of all of his Sekirei, seeing all of them and wondered in his head, '_Then who is this? Wait a minute, they're not all here. Where is Rias?_' Making the connection his mind assumed it was her, and the red bits of hair sticking out from under the blanket merely confirmed that thought. But then he began to go pale as another new sensation made itself known. All along down his side and his left leg, he felt skin, not a shred of cloth. He began to sweat heavily as he thought, '_Oh crap, why the hell is she naked?_'

"_**The hell if I know. I think she mumbled something about it before you all made your pile but I didn't care enough to listen,**_**"** Kurama chimed in.

'_Oh thanks, big help furball,_' Naruto responded flatly.

Kurama merely huffed.

Naruto's mind then returned to the fact about Rias not only being naked, but in his bed and pressing herself right against his body. First, this had many effects, none of which he could decide were good or bad. The first was that her breast were smushed against his side, including her nipples. He swallowed nervously as he felt something else pressed against his outer thigh. All of this had one resounding effect, that effect causing a ripple in his sheets.

He began to sweat heavily as one last thought filled his head. '_What if Miya comes in and sees…Rias, naked and pressed against me. What's more what if she sees what it's doing to me. I'm starting to think letting Mutsu kill me back there might have been a wise choice._'

All of these coherent thoughts were banished as his worst nightmare started to unfold. First, he heard Miya call into his room, "Naruto, it's time for you and everyone else to wake up."

Swallowing his nervousness he replied shakily, "Y-y-yeaahh, I'll uh…er I mean we will be right uhm…right down."

After a short pause she asked through the door, "Is everything alright in there?"

Becoming frantic he replied, "YES! Everything's just fine." Naruto then had to forcefully, and failingly, suppress a moan as Rias' motions of stirring awake had quite some many effects on the blonde teen. Not the least of which being what she was unintentionally rubbing against his thigh.

As his face twisted in pleasure and sheer unbridle terror he couldn't decide if he was experiencing a facsimile of heaven or entering the doors of hell.

His answer was provided when Miya slid open the door with a worried expression and noticed his face; which was red, sweaty and trembling, although for far different reasons than she was thinking. Putting a hand up to her mouth she said in a light gas, "Poor thing, you must be sick. I'll go ahead and get your Sekirei out so you can rest."

With slight relief he began, "Yeaaahhhh, why don't you-" his mind registering Rias again he froze and said weakly, "Er, ya know what, why don't you-uuuuu-just go and-geh, get breakfast ready?"

Miya narrowed her eyes and took notice of the wriggling lump on his bed.

When Naruto realized this his complexion shifted to match Akitsu's.

Miya grabbed the covers and threw them off, exposing Rias to the world.

By this point several of Naruto's other Sekirei had awakened, namely Tsukiumi, Matsu and Toyotama, and saw this as well. Each had their own unique reaction.

Tsukiumi's was for her face to change in order to match Rias' hair while she was froze in a pointing and appalled gesture.

Matsu's was to grin devilishly and cover her mouth as her glasses glinted and laughed strangely, "Shishishi."

Toyotama wasn't sure what to make of it. While she was jealous of Rias' rather intimate proximity to Naruto's body she couldn't deny she enjoyed seeing the effects.

Miya however had a response all her own. Her confused and annoyed expression shifted as gifted, or cursed, the world with a smile so sweet sugar turned to salt that was also somehow the most terrifying thing imaginable. At the same time a dark haze began to manifest around Miya that condensed in several spots, these condensations forming into several large, evil, angry looking hannya masks. Miya then covered her mouth her left hand and sleeve and said in an extremely sweet tone of voice, "My, my. Care to explain why it is the two of you are in such an indecent position?"

Seemingly oblivious to the whole situation, Rias sat up and yawned with a stretch.

Finally breaking Naruto reached for his nose with his freed left hand, a futile effort as the blood poured out through his fingers.

Rias then said innocently, and naively, "When I sleep I need to be naked, otherwise it's far too uncomfortable and sleep won't come no matter how hard I try."

Giggling like an old pervert, Matsu muttered, "I don't think that's all that's coming."

Rias turned and asked kindly still, "What did you say?"

Matsu waved a hand and said, "Oh nothing, ignore me."

Rias tilted her head and then flinched as the extremely oppressive atmosphere seemed to register as she turned back towards Miya, whose posture and appearance was still the same. Rias then asked, "Uhm, why are you being so frightening?"

Miya then asked sweetly, "Tell me, do you know this inn's rules?"

Rias thought for a moment and shook her head.

Miya then said kindly, "Then allow me to explain. First is no conflict, I refuse to allow people under my roof to enter into physical conflicts when there are better methods. Second is that I never refuse those in need. And the third, and most important rule, is absolutely…under no circumstances…is any lewd or elicit behavior allowed."

Listening to her words, the meaning seemed to dawn on Rias as she turned a sickly shade of blue and then began waving her arms defensively as she said, "Wait, wait! L-like I said, I don't know the rules, soooo…"

Of course Naruto was beginning to turn white from blood loss, not helped from the way Rias' breast jiggled about as she flailed her arms.

Miya cracked open her eyes as the space around her bangs began to darken and she said, "I apologize, but everyone who enters is expected to know the rules. And that includes you…Rias."

Rias gulped and made a short, "Eep," sound before those wandering around outside were serenaded by the sound of dual screams and shouts of fear and agony.

* * *

Kurama watched the events from his cage and mumbled, **"I think I for once pity the brat."**

* * *

Breakfast that day was rather amusing as Naruto and Rias sat with equivalent expressions, their complexions pale as a ghost and their countenance weak.

Miya however sat at the head of the table with a content smile.

Naruto then sighed and said, "Well…this morning was-"

His sentence was interrupted as a cross Tsukiumi said, "Profligate, an event I personally hope is nevermore performed. If it is I personally shalt bestow righteous judgment to thee for betraying my position as thy wife."

Naruto winced at the biting tone in her words. He could tell this wasn't her normal mood swing, she was quite truly pissed. He gulped and grabbed his plate plus a few others and said, "I'll uh…clean up."

He reached for Tsukiumi's plate but his hand was grabbed, by her no less, and she said, her normal irritable blush returned, "Nay, tis the wife's duty to clean up."

Naruto shook his head and said, "Maybe, but I screwed up, I'll take care of it this time."

Tsukiumi's eyes widened slightly as he walked away. She then pulled a hand up protectively, dipping her head at the same time as her blush spread and she thought, '_He…he did not refute my claim._' Returning to normal with a huff she thought, '_But of course, I am his wife. Tis only natural he not argue the facts._'

* * *

In the kitchen, Naruto was washing the dishes from breakfast as he sighed and said, "Well today is starting off just peachy. Miya tried to kill me, Tsukiumi hates my guts, and I'm pretty sure everyone else is pretty pissed. Well, give it time and they should work it out." He then chuckled weakly and said, "Or they'll work it out by pounding my face into the dirt. Doesn't matter I guess, long as I have Kurama I can survive a hole in the gut."

"_**That's only if I agree to heal you,**_**"** the fox retorted.

Naruto chuckled and responded, '_Aww, come on. You know you love me._'

"_**I love you the same way a dog loves its food bowl. Plus it's amusing to watch how badly you fuck up your own life,**_**"** Kurama said teasingly.

'_Hey, I'm usually not the cause of it, just the focus. Well, whatever, they're my Sekirei and I need to take care of them. If it means getting a few of Miya's beatings, which I know and am glad she holds back in, it's fine. Although I think she may have been more angry than normal this morning, and I can't figure out why,_' he thought wistfully as he cleaned.

Moments later he heard a voice say, "So, how is your repentance going?"

Naruto turned to see Miya entering the kitchen and said weakly, "Good I suppose. Having a few water jutsu would make things easier."

"You could always ask Tsukiumi," Miya said.

Naruto responded flatly, "Please, the only thing she wants to do right now is chop me into little pieces."

Miya giggled and said, "You seem to underestimate their feelings?"

"So she wants to chop me into tiny pieces?" he asked jokingly.

Miya lightly chopped him on the head with the side of her hand and said, "No, I mean that no matter how angry they may be, your Sekirei will almost always do what you ask them to."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said lowly, "Yeah, I know. That's part of the reason I feel so mad at people like Izumi. Sekirei serve their Ashikabi unfailingly, and people like him abuse that power; treating the Sekirei who desire only his affection like dirt and pieces on a board. I don't the Sekirei to be bound to anyone, to experience any kind of physical or emotional pain just because they want to refuse a twisted command. That's why I want to stop this thing before it gets even further." He then looked at Miya and said, "But you don't need to worry about that…actually, can I ask you for a favor?"

Miya tilted her head and said, "Oh, even after this morning's events?"

Naruto slumped his shoulders and mumbled, "I knew you were going to bring that up." He shook his head for a moment and then said, "Well, you see I learned how to cook some basic meals with my old sensei. I was wondering if you'd teach me how to cook some of the things you make."

Miya blinked in surprise and then gave a closed eye smile and said, "Of course. I'd be happy to. Join me when I'm making lunch and I'll show you; but don't think I'll just hand over the kitchen to you though, it's still my domain."

Naruto nodded and said, "Thanks. Anyway I'm going to go do some training since Kakashi gave us the day off because of the other day."

Miya nodded as he left. Her smile then slowly shaped into a sorrowful frown.

* * *

Naruto moved out to the rear courtyard and unsealed his katana. He looked at it seriously, then grit his teeth in anger as his fight, or rather butt-kicking, with Mutsu flashed into his memory. He looked at his reflection in his sword and said to himself, "I need to get stronger. I'm always being defended. In our battle in the Land of Waves I only won with Kurama's power, I failed miserably against Yomi and Mutsu just kicked my ass."

"_**Oh stop with the pity party.**_**"**

* * *

Naruto instantly found himself inside his mindscape, looking at the cage for the Nine-Tails. He looked up and noticed instantly the annoyed look on the great orange fox's face.

"**So you got your ass handed to you in your first few fights, so what? You're a damn genin, no one expects you to conquer the world…yet,"** Kurama said scolding.

Naruto frowned and said, "That may be, but I can't stand to have my Sekirei protecting me. I want to protect them, they are involved with this mess by force and so far every Sekirei battle I've been in someone's been fighting for me or I've been beaten badly. I want to get stronger so that won't happen again."

Kurama narrowed his eyes and said, **"You want to get stronger? You will not get stronger as long as you're so obsessed with yourself."**

Naruto looked at him and said, "What does that even mean?"

Kurama merely huffed and said, **"If you don't know by now, then I have no interest in speaking to you…however there is someone else who does."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow and was about to ask when he felt a presence behind him.

He turned and watched as the water several meters behind him stirred lightly before thick blue chakra began to rise up, shaping itself into a solid form. Naruto realized it was the shape of a person as the chakra rose up, seemingly filling an invisible mold he couldn't see.

It started with the feet forming under the water, slowly rising up as the legs before the two frames fused at the top as the torso formed slowly. Then the chakra formed the shoulders and then descended slowly to form the forearms and hands right before the head formed. A silhouette formed in the chakra resembling shaggy, spiked hair as clothing wrapped around the apparition. It started with opera-length black, fingerless gloves that were frayed at the top before a long, red strap with many metal studs formed and wrapped around the arms in a fast writhing motion. Then a pair of baggy black pants above a pair of brown shinobi sandals formed.

Naruto's eyes then shot wide when the incorporeal form of the chakra mass shifted into something tangible. What he saw was a person that looked almost exactly like him with only a few differences. Those differences being thicker and darker whisker marks, longer, shaggier black hair, and dark circles under his eyes.

This other Naruto opened his eyes, revealing them to still be blue, but a darker, colder blue than the bright, warm blue of Naruto's own. Naruto trembled in place and asked, "W-who are you?"

The other Naruto's face twisted in a devilish smirk as he said, "You mean you don't know? I'm you, or more specifically the real you."

Naruto scoffed and said, "As if, I don't look like _that_."

The other Naruto laughed and said maniacally, "Please, it's not my appearance that makes me you. I'm the you that you try to deny, all of your rage you keep hidden."

Naruto grit his teeth and argued, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't really think that you're some perfect flower that's free of anger and rage do you?" the doppelganger taunted. Seeing Naruto's perplexed expression he grabbed his gut and began laughing loudly. After his laughter died down he said, "You do don't you!?" The other Naruto then stopped all laughter and scowled angrily and shouted, "Don't make me laugh! You're not some damn pure soul, you just created me, Menma, to dump all of your hatred on! I sat back, absorbing all of you rage and anger, watching as you were beaten and battered by those bastards, and you simply turned the other cheek and explained it as the projection of their fears. Tell me, you ever think that they just hate you? They do, they always did, they always will. It doesn't matter if Kurama was here or not they'd still hate you."

Naruto grit his teeth and said, "So, you're name's Menma? I never knew about you, not until now. And I think you're wrong, they don't hate me. Their hate is guided towards Kurama."

Kurama brought a hand to his mouth and coughed before saying flatly, **"You two **_**do**_** I'm right here, don't you?"**

Naruto nodded and said seriously with his back still to the fox, "Yeah, I do. I'm just making a point."

Menma on the other hand, put a hand on his hip and gave a wide grin and said, "Oh I know. Once I take care of the puissant that power of yours is all mine."

Kurama simply narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.

Menma kept his smirk until Kurama continued his silence and simply sneered in response before returning his attention to Naruto and said, "Whatever. It doesn't matter what he wants to say. All you need to know is I'm going to kill you and take over and do what you don't the balls to do."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and got into a taijutsu stance.

Menma smirked again and then said, "Sorry but that won't work." He then flowed chakra from his feet and shot off at a speed Naruto wasn't expecting.

As he neared Menma lashed out with a high kick. Naruto brought up his left arm to block and widened his eyes as the force caused him to skid.

Menma then spun off Naruto's and used a thrust kick to send Naruto flying into the wall, splintering it as well as cracking it and embedding Naruto in it.

Naruto took a second to regain his senses and wake up from his surprise at Menma's skill and strength. He managed to do so right before Menma smashed his fist into the wall at the spot Naruto's head was, rolling out of the way to dodge, before instantly turning on his heel and rushed the raven haired copy.

"Not gonna happen," Menma retorted and lashed out with a kick that Naruto caught with both hands but was still launched back.

Naruto skidded to a stop at the end of the large room.

At the same time Menma freed his arm and made a dash for the blonde.

Naruto barely had enough time to dodge the high kick aimed at him ducking and moving to the side. He prepared for his own strike but was interrupted by a left punch thrown by Menma, moving back to dodge, allowing Menma to punch Naruto in the cheek with his left hand.

Naruto stumbled back and almost fell. However, right as he nearly caught himself he was forced to immediately duck a roundhouse kick, the dodge effectively being him falling flat on his rear right as the kick stopped mid motion and became an axe kick.

Naruto was lucky enough to hurl himself out of the way as the kick landed, sending water and concrete high into the air. His eyes widened and his body froze in shock. He then thought, '_What the hell!? I thought this guy was supposed to be me, so how is he so stupid strong?!_' His internal questions were stopped as Menma thrust his hand at the blonde.

Naruto rolled to the side and grabbed a kunai, immediately tossing it at his ravenette clone.

The strap coiled around Menma's left uncoiled slightly near his fist and extended forward, slapping the kunai away.

Naruto's eyes widened again as he said, "What the hell was that?"

Menma smirked and asked as his strap recoiled, "Impressed? It's an extension of my, our, chakra arms. These metal studs are made from chakra metal, or they would be in the real world, allowing me to manipulate them with great accuracy, thereby controlling the straps."

Naruto sweat-dropped and said lamely, "I can't do that."

Menma sneered again and said, "That's because you're so busy playing ninja with those friends of yours and getting jerked around by the silver haired bastard. If you had spent more time training and less time jerking around you could be as good as I am. But instead you wasted your time at that damn academy, with its half-useless curriculum, then began wasting your time playing around with that pathetic team and playing _Kakashi's_ silly little games. I however am what you could be had you stopped dicking around and gotten to business."

Naruto smirked and taunted, "A hate-filled friendless asshole?"

Menma gave a small chuckle and then said with a smirk, "Sure, make jokes now. We'll see how much fun you're having when I rip out your insides."

Naruto scowled and said, "I'd rather not." He proceeded to rush at the ravenette.

"Tch, try something else!" Menma shouted, coiling his straps from his left arm and shooting them towards the blonde.

Naruto spun to the side to dodge and said with a smirk, "Too slow."

"Too stupid," Menma responded.

Naruto was curious of his meaning until he felt something wrap around his left leg. He sweat-dropped and mumbled, "This won't end well."

His prediction came true as the strap lifted him high in the air upside down, dangling for a moment before rearing back, flipping Naruto around, and then threw him at the large room's back wall with enough force to send him right through it and make a small crater on the ground on the other side.

Menma rewound his strap as he sauntered over confidently.

Naruto shot up out of the small crater, gasping for air. As he stood he realized his outfit was beginning to get damaged. The cuffs of his jacket were frayed as were the ends of his pants legs, and the edges of his headband had some minor damage. He looked at his reflection in the water and saw the trail of blood from the left edge of his mouth. He also took notice of his surroundings. He was outside the sewer system, which he realized was just an endless enclosed hallway inside an endless void that had a black, lightless sky and the ground was solid concrete with an ankle high layer of water as well as broken down walls and old crumbling pillars all around.

However, sightseeing was interrupted as he was once again assaulted, this time by Menma's left arm. Naruto hopped back over the crater with Menma following suit immediately then beginning a volley of strikes; a right thrust, then a left, the knee kick then left hook with a following left snap kick that Naruto couldn't dodge or block. That resulted in him getting a hard kick to the side before Menma grabbed his collar and threw the blonde towards one of the pillars with great amounts of strength.

Naruto managed to flip himself around and land feet first, using chakra to stick himself to the pillar. He winced from the force of the impact as it rattled through his body, also causing the area of the pillars near vertical surface to buckle. Sending chakra to his hands he planted them on the pillar above him, flipped his feet over top and secured them to the pillar's crumbling summit.

He immediately leapt to a new pillar when Menma's chakra enhanced punch rocketed forward, shattering the pillar into pieces. As soon as Naruto landed on the next pillar he was forced to jump again as Menma rocketed at him from his previous spot.

Unfortunately the new pillar he aimed for was just far enough way for Menma to catch up midair.

Naruto gasped and made an X guard with his arms as Menma stomped down, sending the blonde crashing into the ground and water below, he himself landing safely on the pillar Naruto had been aiming for.

Naruto pulled himself out of the newly created pool and began huffing as he gathered air. His tracksuit further damaged as he now had tears in the elbows, small holes along the sleeves and the cuffs were ragged, his pants legs having several holes as well along with frayed ends. Naruto's headband wasn't fairing much better as the extra length had become ragged as well on the edges, the plate on his forehead scuffed heavily along the edges. Naruto sighed as he had a second trail of blood on the left side of his mouth.

He then refocused on Menma who shouted, "Come on! This can't really be all you've got! What happened to Naruto the Protector? Right now I'm basically kicking your ass! If you give up now, I'll make your disappearance and death easy. Or I may even let you watch as I repay the villagers for everything they've done to us, and then let you witness me take the village as mine!"

Naruto grit his teeth and said, "They would never choose you as Hokage!"

Menma laughed and retorted, "Who said anything about letting those maggots choose?!"

Naruto scowled at his clone and reached into his pouch, grabbing one of his Flying Raijin kunai.

Menma raised an eyebrow at what his weaker half was doing.

Naruto then immediately threw the kunai with all his might.

"Tch, make it difficult," Menma said off-handed as his straps swatted the kunai away.

Naruto smirked and immediately flashed to the kunai. His blood ran cold as he came face to face with Menma. "What the…"

Menma grinned insanely and said, "I'm you dumbass! I can use it too!" Menma then wrenched the kunai from Naruto's hands and spun midair, landing a spinning heel kick at Naruto's face, sending him crashing to the ground below, digging a trench as he skidded before smashing to a halt at a broken wall, shearing it to pieces as a result.

Menma landed softly on one of the pillars, tossing the marked blade aside. His content smirk widened as Naruto stood in a strained manner.

He was beginning to truly look worse for wear. His sleeves were essentially rags at that point with two large holes at the elbows and many more along the sleeves, his headband's extra length was mostly gone, the plate had several long scratches along it and he now had a third trail of blood near the left side of his mouth. The rest of his body was covered in water, dirt and cuts as small trails of blood slid down his arms. He panted heavily and looked at Menma with ire. He then clenched his fists in pain and concentration as his pupils began attempting to become slitted as his body was reaching for Kurama's chakra as a backup.

Menma laughed loudly and said taunting, "You fool! You have access to a near infinite pool of intensely powerful chakra and you're forcing your body _not_ to use it?! How stupid are you!?"

Naruto panted as Kurama's chakra was repressed and he said, "I refuse to use that chakra in combat. My anger takes hold and takes control when I do."

Menma blinked in curiosity before grinning madly and shouting, "Oh you're too much! Are you still all broken up because of that woman that was killed when you lost control last time!?"

The taunt cause Naruto to tremble as the images of a woman with long dark hair and fair skin, a face contorted in confusion and covered in blood, pupiless white eyes filled with fear as Naruto saw his young body covered in a thick, dark layer of malicious chakra, four foxlike tails swaying calmly yet angrily behind him.

Menma saw tears begin to fall from Naruto's face and said annoyed, "Please, that woman was just like the rest. To her you were nothing more than the beast everyone else saw, the same monster that caused the destruction of the village."

"Shut the hell up!" Naruto demanded with tears. "Hanari was different! She was one of the few people that knew of my true heritage, and saw me for me, not for the monster everyone else saw!"

Menma frowned and asked, "Then why did you kill her? If she was so great then you should not have killed her, hmm?"

"That's…that's because…" Naruto trailed off as he dropped his head and said lowly, "That's because the other Hyugas thought I had kidnapped Hinata, not rescued her. They…attacked me and my rage took over, you took over. In that state I made to kill Hiashi, and she got in the way. So…" He looked up at Menma in rage and said, "So the only reason she died is because that chakra took control of me through my hatred, and because of that Hinata had to grow up without a mother."

Menma scoffed and said, "Please, she may have acted differently but that Hyuga girl's mother still saw you as a beast, just a beast she could manipulate instead."

Naruto bared his teeth in indignation and shouted, "I told you to shut the hell up!"

Menma spat and said, "Fine. If you won't use Kurama's chakra then I'll show you what it can do." As soon as he finished his pupils became slitted and he proceeded to rush at Naruto.

Naruto regained his senses from his rage just in time to dodge the attack and then tossed several kunai and flashed hand signs before saying, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" The six kunai became thirty in puffs of smoke, all barreling for Menma.

Menma merely sighed and flashed his own signs and shouted, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" He swung his arms back and exhaled a massive gust of wind that blew away Naruto's kunai.

Naruto finished up the last sign of his jutsu and inhaled, before shouting and putting his right hand as a ring in front of his mouth, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Just as he predicted fire jutsu met wind jutsu and the wind style attack was engulfed in flames that used the wind as an accelerant to shoot towards the ravenette.

Menma responded by surging more chakra into the attack, causing it to become so powerful that it overpowered the flames and forced them back, essentially becoming a fast moving column of air with a wall of fire at the front.

"SHIT!" Naruto cursed loudly as he made to outrun the blaze, ducking behind one of the taller wall remnants as the attack slammed into the back of the wall.

Naruto grunted as he felt the wall heat up considerably as the flame was smashed against it and the wind pushing against it before reshaping at the other side.

After several seconds the onslaught ended and Naruto took a moment to breathe.

An action he regretted as Menma appeared before him in a flash.

Naruto gasped in shock and attempted to recover.

Menma didn't give him the chance as he buried his right hand in Naruto's abdomen, making him cough up a considerable amount of blood before pulling away and sending his cocked left fist at Naruto's jaw, sending the blonde tumbling and smashing away with a trail of blood.

Menma smirked as he approached and his body accessed more of Kurama's chakra, turning his irises red, elongating his nails into claws, extending and sharpening his canines further thickening his whisker marks as well as causing his hair to become even more wild and unkempt.

Naruto strained to stand with a groan of pain, falling to his knees before he could. His face was now covered in more blood from his nose and the middle of his forehead along with his sleeves having been destroyed. He attempted to once again stand shakily.

Menma approached and said with a feral smirk, bearing his fangs, "You see now, Naruto? The difference between us? I utilize all tools at my disposal, regardless of what happens so that I can do what I need to." As he spoke more of Kurama's chakra enveloped him, bubbling up in a thick mass from the soles of his feet, covering his entire body in a thick, gaseous layer of chakra. A malformed swaying tail soon formed from the cloud as did two approximations of Kurama's ears.

Naruto merely glared angrily at the ravenette and said, "Yeah, the difference is clear, you have no problem killing the innocent to get what you want. And I want to get what I want without anyone getting hurt."

Menma gave a mocking laugh before kicking Naruto in the chest, backing him up to the wall and planted his foot roughly on the blonde's shoulder and said, "Well then you're just an idiot. There is no innocence in this world. And the only way to truly achieve your desires is step on someone else's shoulders or to stand on their neck. Your pathetic mind refuses to accept that, however I not accept it but embrace it. And you know what else?"

Naruto responded with a growling, "What?"

Menma grinned wildly and said, "You're always complaining about how untamed your Sekirei are, but I can assure you…once I am in control they will be the slaves they were meant to be as I put them in their place. I will also ensure that they are satisfied, something you seem incapable of doing."

Listening to his rant, Naruto clenched his fists and grit his teeth so hard that both bled.

Menma then cupped Naruto's chin and said, "I'll be certain to let that Uchiha shit feel our pain too, and I'll be certain that Miya understands who is in charge now."

Naruto simply snapped at that point, his features changing to match Menma's before his cloak, although he still had his blonde hair, and he smashed a punch at the ravenette.

Menma merely smirked as he held the blonde's fist and twisted his arm before throwing him to the side.

Naruto skid along the ground as he attempted to stand once more, while also suppressing the feral chakra attempting to take control.

Menma approached as his shroud changed, its consistency became more solid, still liquid with bubbles along the outer edge as a second tail emerged. Menma also gained thick black lines around his eyes and mouth. He then said, "There is also one, last difference between us."

Naruto wiped the blood from his chin and asked, "What?"

Menma grinned psychotically and said, "I am powerful on my own, all this power is power that is me, all me that I command. However, you cannot do anything without those damn friends of yours. Without your friends you are powerless."

Naruto froze as Menma's words replayed in his mind, '_Without your friends you are powerless. Without your friends you are powerless. Without your friends you are powerless._' Naruto then slumped forward and began laughing quietly, before rearing his head back in loud laughter.

Menma raised an eyebrow as his tails swayed curiously behind him. He then asked, "Have you finally lost it?"

Naruto finished his laughter and said, "No, the opposite in fact. I've found it."

"Found what you damned fool?" Menma asked, growing annoyed.

"What I haven't been seeing this whole time. I've been wasting my time, trying to protect my friends from the outside world, trying to keep them back and fight _for_ them. But you're right, without their help that is hopeless. I need to not fight _for_ my friends, I need to fight _with_ them. I've been so selfish about this, not realizing that my friends don't need my _protection_, they need my _help_. Sad as it is, you made me realize that, Menma. Too bad it's now of all times," Naruto said with an odd smile.

Menma merely scoffed and said, "Yes, too bad. Now be a good fool and die." He raised his right clawed hand and began to swing it downward. However, right when it was about to connect, Menma was sent sailing to the side, crashing and tumbling as he went.

Naruto blinked in confusion and turned to the source, his eyes widening to amazing size.

Standing there, in his mindscape, her fist outstretched from the strike, was Musubi, his Sekirei.

"M-Musubi…how are you…here?" Naruto asked in disbelief, grabbing her arm to be certain she actually there.

Musubi looked at him puzzled but then tilted her head and said with a smile, "I'm your Sekirei silly, so of course I'd help you fight."

Naruto wasn't sure how it was happening but he didn't honestly care as he attempted to stand, his body weak as Musubi slung his arm over her shoulder. He nodded in thanks as the space ahead of them exploded, revealing Menma.

He now had three tails on his shroud, it had become much more solid as the bubbles had vanished and it became more cohesive, even forming around his hair to a degree. He also had other changes, mainly how his eyes had lost their pupils and his sclera had turned charcoal black. Menma stood on all fours in an animalistic posture and shouted in a monstrous voice, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

Not giving time for response he burst forward, running at breakneck speeds, leaving a long trail of water behind him. But just as he neared the duo he was wrapped in white cloth and thrown to the side with a crash.

Uzume then landed nearby in her battle attire with her veils swaying around her. She turned to Naruto and gave a comical salute and said, "Hey bro, what's up? You look like crap."

Naruto responded flatly, "You don't say?"

Menma then roared as he attempted to charge at the group, but found himself stuck. "What the fuck!? This water is like gel!" He turned to see the thickened water holding him in place before tossing him in the air to get slammed by a flying wall of ice.

At that moment Tsukiumi and Akitsu landed nearby.

Naruto merely smiled as he saw Menma charge again, only to have Toyotama rush in and slam him from underneath with her spear, then tossing him away, before looking to Naruto with a smirk.

Taki and Matsu soon joined as they saw Menma stand again, this time he was surrounded by a ring of black flames, he easily jumped up as they formed spears to impale him with.

Naruto then felt Rias lean on his shoulder, waving with a smile. He smiled back and said, "Thanks everyone, I wish I hadn't been quite as stubborn before."

They heard a guttural roar as Menma rocketed towards them, his mind now a haze of anger. Yet again he was knocked away, but as he was a familiar voice shouted, "Chidori!"

Sasuke then came in to the battlefield, slamming his Chidori into Menma's side, making the partially transformed doppelganger roar in pain before ripping his hand out and jumping off as a fair-skinned fist came from below and slammed him into the ground, Sakura joining Sasuke in Naruto's little group of friends.

Naruto looked around with a smile before releasing himself from Musubi and saying, "Thanks guys, I'm going to need your help stopping this guy."

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and said teasingly, "Of course, loser, we're always here to bail you out."

Naruto responded by saying with a twitching eyebrow, "I'm going to accept that as a personality quirk and not crack your head."

Sasuke huffed amusedly as Menma made to stand again.

"Right, if I can get enough momentum a Rasengan should break through that thing," Naruto said.

Seemingly as a single unit those around him spread out, Naruto nodding to himself and running down the middle.

Sakura was the first to approach, shouting out, "Cha!" as she uppercut the ravenette psycho into the air, then grabbed Naruto by the arm and threw him up after him.

Sasuke then propelled off of a pillar and slammed a Chidori into Menma's torso, before flipping upside down, connecting his right foot to Naruto's left with chakra before both surged it simultaneously, sending the blonde ever higher after his foe.

Musubi then soared past, having punched the ground to soar that high, and kicked Menma's face then pushed Naruto by the back with all her might.

Menma, seeing the blonde approaching even higher and faster shot out a blast of fire.

A thick bubble of water encase Naruto, nullifying the water as Tsukiumi hovered nearby on a floating sphere of water before the bubble Naruto was in exploded, sending him rocketing even higher up, a fully formed and charged Rasengan in hand.

Menma grinned like mad and shouted, "Mine's bigger!" a tailed-beast infused Rasengan larger than a human in his right hand. He thrust the massive ball of destruction downwards in an attempt to grind Naruto apart.

However, out of seemingly nowhere powerful crescent blade made seemingly of air pressure shot by Menma, slicing his jutsu apart and causing it to dissipate; allowing Naruto to soar in unfettered with his own Rasengan, smashing it into Menma's abdomen and shouting, "RASENGAN!"

Menma bellowed in pain from the attack before going unconscious, Naruto tossing him downwards towards Kurama's cage room. As Menma fell, unconscious, his shroud dissipated off of his body in bubbles.

Naruto smirked, but then paled and said, "Oh boy, this isn't good." He shouted incoherently as he fell swiftly. However, near to the ground, he was enveloped in a bright light and momentarily saw a flash of a woman similar to Musubi with '08' printed on her stomach.

He then found himself in front of Kurama's cage. He turned around and saw the massive hole in the ceiling, then looked forward and saw all of his friends standing outside beyond the hole Menma made earlier.

He then looked down and saw a massive dark crater, up from which Menma's body floated.

Naruto walked along the water's surface towards him, right as his eyes snapped open, causing Naruto to flinch.

Menma glanced at the blonde and asked angrily, "How? How did you beat me?"

Naruto blinked in confusion, but said assuredly, "Because, unlike you I wasn't fighting for myself, I was fighting for my friends and the village I want to protect. I fought, and won, to protect them from you. However…I didn't do it along, I couldn't have saved them from you without their help. And it was you who made me realize that. So I feel the need to thank you."

Menma sneered as he became sinking slowly and said, "Don't patronize me. But be warned, I'm not done yet, Naruto. I will be back, and next time I will win, I will take control, and I will take revenge. I will use the near infinite power of the Nine-Tails to wreak my vengeance upon the world, and then I will be certain to let you watch as I burn down your oh so important village and destroy your friends." He then closed his eyes as his body sunk below the surface, then disappeared from view; the hole he fell into closing completely.

Without turning, Naruto gave a light smirk and asked, "You had a part in this, didn't you?"

Kurama responded by huffing and saying, **"I wouldn't waste my time. Now take your sorry ass elsewhere, that battle of yours disturbed my sleep."**

Naruto turned to Kurama with a wide grin and said, "Gotcha," then faded away.

If he had waited a moment longer, he would have seen the slight curling the edge of Kurama's mouth did.

* * *

Naruto snapped awake in the real world, standing out in the middle of the backyard. He then turned to the side slowly as he saw that almost every member of Izumo Inn was standing on the deck looking at him, his Sekirei with varying degrees of worry.

Naruto grinned his trademark fox grin and asked uncomfortably, "Hey, what's up guys?"

Sasuke merely turned in a huff and said, "Idiot."

Sakura sighed and walked away, Homura behind her.

His Sekirei soon dispersed as well. Last was Miya, who gave a kind smile before walking away.

Naruto looked back at his sword as it puffed away and said, "Thanks guys."

Above him, a crow watched curiously before flying off.

Naruto returned to the inn proper, making his way to his room.

* * *

The next day, Naruto awoke early, sighing in relief as Rias wore some manner of clothing, though he wasn't sure if her wearing black lacy underwear was any better or worse than nude. He also noticed Musubi and Tsukiumi were missing. He raised an eyebrow curiously when he heard noise from the courtyard outside.

* * *

Going down to investigate, Naruto was witness to Musubi and Tsukiumi both 'training' with Miya by both charging Miya in their unique ways.

Tsukiumi shot a jet of water while Musubi simply barged in.

Miya calmly raised her sword at Tsukiumi's stream of water, sending it crashing around her as effortlessly leaned forward slightly as Musubi made to punch her, causing the ditzy Sekirei to sail right over her and land face first in the dirt.

Miya then made a sharp diagonal slash through Tsukiumi's water, the force of which had the effect of shredding her clothing, leaving the blonde Sekirei to crouch down with an eep and the blonde shinobi to quickly cup a hand over his nose in defense.

Naruto shook and asked, his nose still covered, "What are you guys doing?"

Tsukiumi shrieked and shouted, "Please, husband, don't look! I can't bare thou to see me in this state!"

Musubi rubbed her sore cheek before pumping her fists and said, "We're training with miss landlady!"

Naruto chuckled and sighed as he released his nose and said, "I can see that. Miya, want help with breakfast?"

Miya put a finger to her chin before giving a sweet smile, one that didn't freeze the sun, and said with a nod, "I suppose that would help, we do have many more mouths to feed than I have had ever before."

Naruto nodded and said, "Right, when do you plan on starting?"

"Not for a little while, if you want I can give you some more kenjutsu training," she offered.

Naruto didn't miss a beat as he ran into the open field of the backyard, unsealed his favorite katana and created multiple shadow clones.

Miya brought her hand to face attempting to stifle a laugh at his enthusiasm and said, "Right. Well, we left off with you learning some of the basic moves, show me how experienced you are there and we'll move on."

Naruto nodded and demonstrated with his shadow clones and himself recreating some of the small move set Miya had taught him.

* * *

After displaying an acceptable level of skill, Miya nodded and said, "That's enough Naruto. Now, I think it's time you learn how to use a technique I learned early in my studies of kenjutsu."

"How long ago?" Musubi asked offhanded.

Miya smiled sweetly and said, "That's not something an old housewife needs to discuss."

Naruto chuckled and thought, '_She really needs to stop with the old housewife bit, that's the least she is._' He then caught himself and shook his head and mentally berated himself, '_NO, landlady, landlady._' After finishing his mental berating he sighed and noticed the three ladies were staring at him. He reddened slightly and asked, "Something on my face?"

Miya shook her head and said, "No, just an odd expression. Now, this technique is called Battojutsu."

"Battojutsu? What kind of jutsu is it?" Naruto asked.

Miya chuckled lightly and said with a wave of her hand, "No, it's not that kind of jutsu. It's a fighting stance and attack in kenjutsu."

Naruto nodded and asked, "So, what is it like?"

Miya put a finger on her chin and said, "You know what, send one of you shadow clones at me. I figure you'll understand it better if you see it rather than listen to it get explained."

Naruto nodded again and almost immediately a shadow clone appeared beside him. He pointed at Miya and the clone responded with a nod.

The clone drew its sword and rushed at Miya.

Naruto slumped his shoulders and said lamely, "I was hoping you'd do something cooler than that."

As it neared the purplette, her usually smiling face became serious. She slid her right leg forward and turned her left knee towards the inn, brought her katana to her side and had her hand poised over the hilt, facing her side to the clone.

Then, in an instant she stood in a wide stance with her sword drawn and her hair still fluttering from the strike.

Naruto's eyes widened, not just at the speed of the strike but the image it presented. He then noticed his clone, which had stopped several feet in front of her, its sword still raised above its head and a shocked expression on its face. Then all watched as its torso slid from its legs before the whole thing dispelled in a puff of smoke and Miya sheathed her blade.

Naruto's eyes lit up with stars as he said hungrily, "That was so cool! I didn't even see your sword move!"

Amidst his laughter at the incredible move, Matsu stood nearby leaning against a wall and readjusted her glasses as she thought, '_And of course she was holding back to an amazing degree. Then again if she didn't she would have sliced Naruto in half along with most of the village._' She began to laugh in her own way as she muttered, "I can't wait to see what this does to his 'stamina'."

Miya chuckled lightly and said, "Well, I suppose I'll teach you the technique starting with the basics."

Naruto nodded energetically and said, "Right, right!"

Miya raised a finger and began to speak when the doorbell rang. For a split second she frowned before smiling and placing a hand against her cheek and saying, "Oh my, it seems your training will need to wait, there is somebody at the door."

Naruto pouted but responded with a nod and said, "Alright, I can wait a few minutes."

Miya nodded and went inside the house, Naruto and the others following behind.

* * *

As they reached the front door, Miya slid the door open and Naruto raised both eyebrows in surprise at who was standing at the door.

Standing at the front door to the Izumo Inn was Ororo, the waitress from the Akimichi Grill.

"Ororo?" Naruto mumbled out loud.

Ororo laughed weakly and waved.

* * *

**So, how was that one? I really want to know what you guys think of the battle with Menma, and Menma himself appearing in the story. I'd like to hear your guys' ideas on this and pretty much the chapter as a whole. I'm thinking this arc should be ending in the next chapter or the one after, I can't be certain but I'm hoping. Then it's on to the chunin exams where things _really_ get going.**


	23. Strategies and Storms

Chapter XXIII

**Hello everyone! Hope the wait wasn't too bad. I hope this chapter being the longest yet in the story helps. Anyway, I had originally planned on the current story arc, one of my own making, coming to an end in this chapter with one more chapter for some character development but it seems things took a little longer than I expected. This is my first all original arc in the story so I'd like to know your guys' opinions on it so far. For those that aren't certain the arc starts around the end of chapter seventeen and continues to this one. It's kind of broken in terms of story I know but that's what happens when you don't use the story's skeleton as a backdrop.**

**Anyway I can't think of anything else to say except props to my coauthor Jose19 and who is effectively my second idea bucket seeker of true anime fan fic who actually has heavy involvement in all of my stories now that I think about it. Whatever, on to reviewer responses.**

**Duanemaster: I thought so. I thought that just some nonspecific Dark Naruto wasn't enough, his dark side needed and name and identity of its own.**

**x102reddragon: That's because they weren't actually there, I try to mention it here but don't do that good of a job, but basically around the time he had his epiphany during the battle most everyone around the inn just kind of passed out. They have no memory of being in the fight so that's why that's a thing.**

**ncpfan: I try to get it set up in this chapter that that's what's going on. I also have some other ideas of my own kind of thrown in but I'm working that way. **

**Dragon Man 180: I can't say too much, but Orochimaru won't necessarily be "surprised" by the Sekirei.**

**Bl4ckD3ath: I don't think you're the only to mention that but, in the manga and most fansubs it's called just the Japanese of Hiraishin. But in the dub, which is where all of my terminology and way of speaking for the characters comes from, it's called the Flying Raijin.**

**guest: Sadly these are the stages he has to go through, first showing off his power to his peers as a badass. Then learning that his power isn't enough and that just fighting whole hog alone isn't going to do it, followed by finally learning that true power comes from working with his friends not for them. Don't worry, soon enough Naruto is going to get a serious power boost.**

**Jose19: Plus Menma is generally stronger physically than Naruto because he's given himself fully to the hatred within Kurama, since that's what he is for Naruto.**

**Mad Saint 408: What? Who is Munma and when has he, or she, shown up?**

**I suppose that's it for this part, so let's get going into the part you all care about.**

* * *

Naruto and Miya stood at the front door of Izumo Inn. Standing at the front door was none other than Ororo, the woman Naruto had met at the Akimichi grill a few days ago.

Naruto looked at her and said, "Ororo, what are you doing here?"

Ororo laughed uneasy and said, "Unfortunately, I have been kicked out of the apartment I was living in and heard that this inn was friendly to people in my…circumstances."

Miya smiled and said, "Of course. So long as you follow the rules I have you are allowed to stay here."

Ororo bowed and said, "Thank you for your generosity."

Miya giggled and said, "Nonsense. I never turn away someone in need. So please come in."

Ororo nodded and walked in the front door, her eyes meeting Naruto's, who simply grinned, resulting in Ororo looking down with a red tint before entering the inn completely.

As she did Naruto turned to enter but stopped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder to see Miya, expecting her frightening smile, but instead a concerned expression. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uhm, what's wrong?"

Miya frowned and said, "Something…strange happened earlier. I think it may have affected your Sekirei. You should check on them."

Naruto nodded and asked, "What about you?"

Miya let go of his arm and said, "I'm alright. You need to worry more about you Sekirei."

Naruto frowned but nodded and said, "Right."

* * *

Naruto went into the hallway and happened to see Matsu asleep on the floor. He blinked and walked over to her and said, "Erm, Matsu?"

She seemed to be oblivious.

He waved his hand in front of her face. Nothing. He then poked her forehead, no reaction. He hummed in annoyance then had an idea. He put his hand in front of her forehead with his fingers splayed. Then he curled his thumb and middle finger.

* * *

"KYAAAA!" resonated through the inn.

* * *

Ororo sat in the room Miya led her to, all of her things still sitting packed. She sat on her bed not unpacking because of a burning sensation on her neck. Ororo grit her teeth as the faint light pulsated. After a few moments however, it died down. With a shallow breath she forced herself up and decided to begin making the room her own.

* * *

Naruto sat on his bed in his room, his Sekirei surrounding him and his arms folded in confusion. He looked up at them and asked, "So you're all certain you all experienced the same thing?"

Tsukiumi responded with a nod and said, "Aye, we all didst experience a sensation of plainly losing consciousness in unison. I doth not recall what happened, if anything, during that time yet I doth recall the sensation."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, I could tell you what happened, but it's weird."

The Sekirei all looked amongst themselves before nodding.

Naruto nodded slowly and began to tell them of his ordeal in his mindscape, his battle with "Menma" and their arrival in aiding him.

* * *

After hearing it, they were all dumbfounded. The first to react was Musubi who put her fists together and said, "If we really want to see what happened, we could ask Sasuke and Sakura."

Naruto shook his head and said, "I don't think I want to bring this up with them just yet. I'm still trying to understand it myself. Plus, what Menma said after I…_we_, beat him has me worried. I'm just concerned he might start trying to mess with my head to gain control. So I'd like you guys to see if you can't help in that regard."

They all nodded resolutely and said, "Of course!" in unison.

Naruto merely smiled and said, "Thanks you guys." Naruto then stood up and said with a moan, "Well if my bout with Menma taught me anything it's that I need to rethink my training."

Rias asked, "What do you mean? Training harder or something?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Training to better work together, with Sasuke and Sakura as well as you guys."

They all smiled and the first to speak was yet again Musubi who said excitedly, "Right! You just tell us what you need us to do and we'll do our best! Right?!"

They all nodded, eliciting a smirk from the blonde. He then said, "Well the first thing I need to do is get a better understanding of each of your main attributes and skills and figure out how we can best work in tandem. To do that I think here might not be the best place."

* * *

Naruto ran for the front door through the living room. Miya saw this and asked, "My, my. Where's the fire?"

Naruto turned and said with a grin, "No fire. I'm just going to go train with the others at training ground seven." He then got an idea and asked, "How about you Miya, want to come?"

Miya giggled as she placed her hand on her cheek and said, "Oh my, you wouldn't be asking this old housewife on a date would you?"

Without missing a beat Naruto asked with a smirk, "And if I was?"

Miya blinked in surprise at his sudden comeback. She merely chuckled to herself and responded, "Then I'd have to decline. This old housewife is not available."

Naruto kept his smirk as she returned to the kitchen but dropped it when the door closed and narrowed his eyes in thought, '_Miya…what the hell happened with Takehito that has you so closed off?_'

"_**What are you babbling about?**_**"** questioned Kurama.

Naruto shook his head and answered, '_It's nothing. Hey, do you know where the others are?_'

"_**Do I look like a Sekirei tracking beacon?**_**"** Kurama retorted snidely.

'_What if I said yes?_' Naruto shot back. His answer came as bloodflow to a rather vital area was cutoff and he screamed in his mind, '_STOP, STOP!_' After the pain subsided he sighed heavily and continued out the door to training ground seven; his Sekirei following out soon after.

* * *

The group arrived soon enough and walked into the clearing. Naruto spun on his heels with his hands on his hips and said in a commanding tone, "Right! Starting with Akitsu I think it's best to see a general display of your powers. I know basically what each of you can do but not to an extensive enough degree."

Akitsu nodded and stood in front of the training dummies. She then raised her hand and said calmly, "Ice Trail." Almost immediately in a pattern roughly three times the width of Akitsu herself and extending for several yards a trail of ice formed made of many large, sharp, dense ice crystals.

Akitsu turned and blushed slightly, which looked like a red pepper on her pale features, when she saw Naruto's dumbfounded expression. She then asked, "Is everything alright?"

Naruto nodded lamely and said, "Y-yeah. It's just…were you always that strong?"

Akitsu looked down in thought then said, "Ah…after the-ow" her words were interrupted as a chakra arm lightly chopped on her head. She then began again saying, "After the Land of Waves my powers were easier to control. They didn't feel as…restricted."

Naruto put a hand to his chin in thought, closing his eyes as a result. They then snapped open when a thought hit him, '_Her Sekirei crest!_' He thought about it and found it to be the only worthy explanation. However he berated himself for having such a poor understanding of it. On the spot he decided that he was going to try and study the Sekirei crest after that point to understand it. Returning his mind to the task at hand he said, "Okay. I think an attack combining my wind and your ice might work; something like a blast of subzero air filled with ice crystals that freezes anything within."

Akitsu nodded with the faintest curling of her lips.

Naruto then said, "Okay Tsukiumi, how about you?"

The buxom blonde nodded and stepped to the same spot as Akitsu, raising her hand in the air and shouting, "Water Celebration!" Two spheres of swirling water formed beside her and shot forward like cannons.

Naruto studied the attack then noticed the shape of the base attacks and got an idea. He decided to voice it, "I think it might be possible to combine the Rasengan and that attack, creating something like a water style Rasengan. I'll need to make some guesses and ideas but I think it'll work."

Tsukiumi huffed proudly and said, "But of course I wouldst have an effective attack with thee."

Naruto merely smiled at her haughtiness, which barely managed to suppress the face splitting smile he could see forming. He nodded and said, "How about you Uzume?"

Uzume shrugged and said, "About all I've got are my veils. I'm able to twist them into a variety of weapons but that's about it."

Naruto nodded again and began thinking, he then said, "In that case, how durable are they?"

Uzume tapped her chin in thought and then said, "I'd say they are about as durable as a flak jacket in most cases, except when wet."

Naruto nodded and said, "Then that means you could be effective in support, like possibly tossing me at the enemy if I have a powerful and unstable Rasengan."

Uzume nodded happily. Then turned to the others with a grin and a victory sign; eliciting a huff from Tsukiumi and seemingly nothing from Akitsu.

She then returned to her normal position, Toyotama taking her place.

Naruto said, "How quick and accurate are you with that?"

Smirking, she lunged, swung the blade and then pulled back.

Naruto blinked in curiosity, then flinched when several strands of hair fell from his head. He gulped and said, "Well, I think mixing my wind chakra to sharpen your blade might work. Although that would need to wait until I've gotten better at focusing my chakra through weapons."

Toyotama nodded and walked away, Rias then walked up to the spot and raised her arm and concentrated before condensing a ball of jet black flames in her hand and tossing it like a ball. It collided with Akitsu's enhanced ice and exploded outwards, shattering it into dust and vaporizing the surrounding ground.

Naruto whistled his approval and said, "I'm not really surprised. Plus fire style and wind style attacks work miracles together. I can already imagine what that attack would be like if I enhanced it with a wind jutsu."

Rias smiled proudly while Naruto suddenly felt a chill on his spine.

Next up was Taki, who pouted slightly and said plainly, "I can make mist." She proceeded to form a light covering of mist around her.

Naruto examined the mist and asked, "Can you direct the mist to specific spots or directions?"

She nodded with a raised eyebrow and Naruto said, "Good. The mist would be best utilized for stealth attacks, allowing me to better sneak around and get the drop on the enemy. But, I think you might also be able to work with Akitsu."

Taki blinked in bewilderment.

Naruto chuckled and said, "If Akitsu applies her ice abilities to your mist, it would act like a conductor and anything you focused your mist on would be slowly frozen. It's the perfect assassination technique plus your mist would allow both Tsukiumi and Akitsu to have better access to water for their attacks. So don't worry, you mist is plenty useful."

Taki smiled happily preparing to jump on Naruto but was pulled back by one of Uzume's veils, the brunette saying, "Nuh-uh."

Taki pouted as Matsu walked up.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, you're the one I'm most curious about. I'm not exactly certain what a brain type can do actually."

Matsu nodded and said, "Right. Now, due to my single digit status I'm special among the brain types but generally these abilities carry across the entire group. The first is seals. We brain types excel in sealing jutsu techniques. In fact there are some people in MBI who believe we may have something to do with your clan's prestige in the art."

Naruto made a silent "O" shape with his mouth and said, "That's a big claim, but your help with developing my own Flying Raijin is proof enough for me."

Matsu nodded and said, "Yes. We are capable of making seals to do just about anything. I can even teach you how to make a seal that temporarily gives you natural sharingan."

Naruto jolted and said, "Damn! How the hell does that work?"

Matsu cooed proudly and adjusted her glasses saying, "Well, it's a lot of complex stuff involving DNA and cellular structure so it's not really explainable here. _But_, I could explain it to you in _great_ detail back home."

Naruto backed away with a sweatdrop and said with a weak chuckle, "I uhh, think I'll pass on that one thanks. Besides Sasuke would probably gut me."

Matsu shrugged and said playfully, "Oh well. You're loss. Anyway, brain types also have remote hacking abilities. If we're within range of even the most complex electrical device we can remotely hack and control it in seconds. And the more skilled of us, like me, can control multiple devices at once. We also excel in genjutsu. Nothing like the Tsukuyomi or anything like that but we can use subtle genjutsus to control someone's actions from afar. It works kind of like how Land of Wind puppet users can control people's bodies with their chakra strings but we actually influence the person's mind to make them think they made the decisions to perform those actions themselves. Naturally the more skilled we are the more precise and larger number of people we can control, mine being the greatest. One last area where brain types are skilled is weaponry. With our combination of sealing jutsu and technical skills we can design just about any kind of brand new weapon. Unfortunately we don't have forging skills so someone else has to do that part but we can design it to the greatest detail."

Naruto blinked and asked, "Anything you've created?"

Matsu released a sudden, "Ha!" and said, "OH, many weapons! Although my favorite is something I like to call the Wolverine."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "Dare I ask?"

Matsu pulled a slip of paper from her cleavage and a burst of smoke came from the paper. Out of it appeared an armored, fingerless gauntlet colored in dark grey. It had several key features, holes in between the finger spaces where chakra could be collected and directed into long claws, canisters on the top of the gauntlet that had seals inside to launch senbon out and a spindle on the bottom with a three pointed hook attached to be used as a grappling mechanism or as a jade shot should the hook's points fold in.

She handed him the gauntlet and Naruto looked at it in awe and said as a joke, "Geez, how much can you fit in there?" He quickly regretted said action as she began to giggle perversely and say, "Want. To. Find. Out?" accenting each word sensually.

Naruto gulped and said, "N-no. I'm uh…fine."

She giggled again and said, "Your loss, Miya's not here to stop us."

Her blood ran cold as she felt seven pairs of angry eyes bear down on her, one haughty voice saying, "Yet we still art present."

Matsu turned slowly and said, "Uhmm, yeah…I knew that."

Ignoring the heated stare down, Naruto affixed the gauntlet to his right arm, strapping the two halves on with a resounding click and flexing his hand and arm to get a good feel for it. Curious, he then directed his chakra into the holes on the front. To his surprise, disappointment and curiosity, instead of claws extending out from the holes, three solid bursts of chakra shot out like bullets, impacting a nearby rock and leaving three side by side holes the size of grapefruit. Naruto's only possible response was, "Damn."

Matsu nodded and said, "Right? I can say I've never seen _that_ happen but it's still cool. Why don't you try it again? Then we can test what Musubi can do."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Musubi's a fist fight like I am. All we need to do is correspond our attacks, one of us going in for heavy hits and the other switching out for swift strikes and then backing off and we're set. He simple skill set makes her the easiest to plan for."

Most of the others understood this as Naruto effectively saying, "She's too stupid to do any complex planning so just having her smack away at the enemy until I can swoop in and deal some directed and calculated blows before she returns to swinging randomly."

That seemed to pass over the girl however as she cupped her hands under her chin as her eye lit up like stars and she hummed happily, saying, "We understand each other so well!" She then attempted to tackle him in a hug but a combination of Uzume's veils, Akitsu's ice freezing her feet and Tsukiumi's strength they managed to restrain her somewhat.

Naruto smiled amused and refocused on the gauntlet. He aimed it straight forward at the large rock and surged chakra into it, getting the same blast as before, this time though his lack of surprise made him aware of the recoil; which his opinion was, '_That hurt like a bitch!_'

Kurama sighed and said, **"**_**Are you surprised?**_**"**

Naruto rubbed his left shoulder and said, '_Not really but I didn't expect it to hurt _that_ much._'

Matsu walked over and asked, "So, how is it?"

He nodded and said, "I like it. I'll try out the other functions later but now I want to return to the inn and work on some things; namely figuring out some combination tactics we can use."

Matsu nodded and said, without a hint of perversion, to Naruto's surprise, "'Kay. Let me know if you need any help with that."

Naruto nodded in recognition and asked, "You guys don't mind if I go back alone to test the Flying Raijin do you?"

The Sekirei pouted but Rias said, "No, go right ahead. Your training is more important than out personal fancies."

He nodded happily and seconds later vanished in a yellow flash.

* * *

Naruto appeared in his room at the inn in a flash. He looked around and went over to his desk in the corner of the room.

He laid out the gauntlet Matsu gave him along with a few empty papers. Nodding he began to work on ideas for how he and his Sekirei can work together.

* * *

In the backyard of the inn, a bolt of lightning flashed momentarily.

Sasuke stood in the yard holding his left arm panting. Yahan clapped and said, "That was really good Sasuke, I think it actually worked that time."

Sasuke stood straight and caught his breath. He turned to her and said, "No, it's not perfect just yet. The area is too small and the stream doesn't last long enough."

Yahan tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean? What exactly are you trying to make?"

Sasuke nodded and said, "I'm trying to create a long range version of the Chidori that uses the ground as a conductor. Unfortunately I can't sustain the current long enough."

Yahan put her hand on her chin and then said, "What if you tried something like a burst fire instead of a stream?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Yahan smirked and grabbed several senbon and tossed them, "Something like that, using the burst of chakra like that."

Sasuke raised both eyebrows and said with a smirk, "I just got a great idea, thanks Yahan."

Yahan smiled slyly and sauntered over and whispered, "Why don't you show me _how_ thankful you are?"

Sasuke jumped and said with a red tint, "Y-you're ruining my concentration."

Yahan chuckled and said, "If you say so."

Sasuke grumbled and began charging his Chidori again.

* * *

Sakura walked around the Leaf Village collecting groceries for Miya, with Homura carrying them all of course. She walked through the residential district where the only store in the village sold a few items Miya needed.

As she walked she looked to the side and a familiar building caught her eye. She frowned as she looked at what was her home. She momentarily entertained the idea of going in before she saw through the front window her parents talking and laughing with a few of their friends. She grit her teeth and continued walking.

Homura raised a concerned eyebrow and ran to catch up to her.

They walked in silence for several seconds before Homura said, "You can't avoid them forever."

Sakura huffed and said, "Why do you say that?"

Homura sighed and said, "Eventually you're going to run into them on the street or somewhere else, wouldn't it be better to talk with them about this on your own terms instead of having a confrontation in the middle of the village?"

Sakura clenched her fists and said, "I have nothing to say to them."

"I highly doubt that. I won't push you, but you'll regret it if you don't talk to them ever again," Homura said lowly.

Sakura averted her gaze to the ground and trembled, before saying, "Let's just go to the store."

Homura sighed deeply and said to himself, "Don't wait too long, Sakura." Sighing again he called to her, "Wait up! These bags are heavy!"

* * *

Miya stood in the kitchen cooking lunch. After a few seconds she sighed as she thought about the day. She looked over to a picture of a man with messy silver hair and said, "It's really been twenty years today." She turned back to her food and said with small smile, "I suppose I'll need to make an extra-large meal for everyone. Yes, that'll do."

* * *

Naruto sat at his desk writing when he threw away another paper and said while furiously scratching his head, "NO! That doesn't work either! Grr, what is this damn thing made of!?"

As he sat there grumbling he heard a knock at the door. Sighing he turned and said, "Who is it?"

"Uzume," she said through the door.

He nodded and said, "When did you guys get home?" as she walked in.

She waved and said, "Just now. The others are downstairs doing…something. I tried not to get involved. I came up here and happened to hear you to shouting. Having trouble with something?"

He sighed and said, "Yup. I've come up with some pretty good battle plans for us and even a few for you guys mixed up thanks to my clones." He pointed to the other side of the room where a group of four clones sat around a group of papers talking and discussing different battle plans and strategies.

Uzume nodded and said, "That's great. But what about the real you?"

Naruto sighed and said, "I'm working on something more delicate, I'm seeing if I can't understand the Sekirei crest. I noticed that Akitsu's powers have improved since it was removed, that and there's the strange chakra it has."

Uzume blinked and said, "Strange chakra?"

He nodded and pointed at an unrolled scroll and a blob of dark, gelatinous purple chakra came out and floated above the scroll.

Uzume turned blue and asked, "Wait…so you mean _that_, is inside the crest on the back of my neck?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "It's come out of two crests so far."

Uzume shivered and said, "That's just creepy." After a sigh she said, "Well, what are you stuck on?"

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm trying to figure out what seals could make it, and see if I can figure out a way to crack its secret."

Uzume tilted her head and said, "What? What do you mean by that?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "What I mean is I'm trying to see what makes it tick. Unfortunately the crest is a formula, not a seal."

Uzume walked over and leaned over to look at his notes, a result of which being that the back of Naruto's head was planted nicely between her breasts.

He twitched an eyebrow as his face turned red and she asked, "What's the difference?"

He sighed and turned his head up to see her face and said, "Something like the Flying Raijin mark. It's made up of a large, super complex web of hundreds of different seals. Something that large isn't very efficient for combat so it needs to be condensed into something smaller, mainly so nobody else can examine the seals and copy the mark. That condensed form is the formula, and that's what the Sekirei crest is." Turning his head back down to the paper he said, "If I had an active crest that I could expand to its full size and shape I could copy it down I could examine it. Then I could see what seals make it up and figure out how they apply to you guys and see if there's any real danger to it being there or if I need to remove them."

Uzume frowned and asked, "Why would you want to remove it?"

Naruto nodded and said, "What if there's a hidden part of the crest in its expanded form that says that at some specific time or place you guys will all deactivate or become someone's mindless puppet?"

Uzume frowned deeper and said, "I hadn't considered that. But, you do have one."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "You lost me."

In on fluid motion she pulled away, spun his chair around and pulled down on the back of her shirt, revealing her crest.

Naruto made an understanding "O" shape with his mouth but then said, "While I appreciate the offer I don't think yours is the one I need to see."

Uzume stood up and asked, "Why not?"

Naruto scratched his cheek and laughed uncomfortably then said, "Uhm, well…that's because…the seals won't go over clothing, only your skin."

Uzume tilted her head and said, "Huh?"

Naruto hummed in exasperation and said, "It means you'd have to take off your clothes for me to see it."

Uzume raised both eyebrows and then began to laugh.

Naruto huffed and said, "What's so funny?"

Wiping away a tear she said, "You, silly. If it would help with what you're doing I wouldn't mind at all. Plus I've already seen you naked."

Naruto flinched as his face lit up bright red and he shouted, "Can we please not talk about that!"

Uzume brought a finger to her mouth and said with a chuckle, "Sure. But like I said, I'm your Sekirei and you're my Ashikabi so I wouldn't mind showing you my body to help you."

"Aaaagh, don't say it like that," Naruto protested.

Uzume merely chuckled and grabbed his right hand and brought it to her chest and said, "You're my Ashikabi, I'll do anything you ask. All you need to do is say it."

Naruto turned a shade of red that made Kurama's fur look white as his hand rested on Uzume's left breast and continually chanted in his head, '_Keep it together, keep it together, keep it together…_' that was until she uttered that last line. That drove him over the edge as blood dribbled out his nose and he passed out, his shadow clones dispelling.

Uzume blinked and said, "Naruto?" She waved her hand in front of him and said to herself, "He passed out."

* * *

Naruto awoke in front of Kurama, shaking his head and looking around. He was surprised that all of the damage from his battle with Menma had been repaired. He then looked up at Kurama, who had what he could only describe as a shit eating grin. He grumbled and asked, "What's so funny?"

"**You. You're always so strong willed against opponents, even Zabuza. But come within inches of a woman's chest and you become a leaf in the wind,"** Kurama teased.

Naruto folded his arms and said childishly, "I may be me, but I'm still a guy."

Kurama snickered and said, **"You're so simple. You try to act like some badass ninja but you're no better than that white-haired hermit."**

Naruto grumbled and said, "No I'm not. I'm nothing like that guy…I'm just weak to my own Sekirei."

Kurama hummed victoriously, which Naruto knew was true, and said, **"Right. It doesn't matter anyway. I suggest you wake up before she decides to make use of you."**

Naruto looked at the fox in disbelief and shouted, "YOU'RE DISGUSTING!" before vanishing from the place.

* * *

Naruto woke back up and looked around to find Uzume and saw her simply sitting on the bed.

She saw him wake up and asked playfully, "Have a nice nap?"

He replied flatly, "Yeah, I always wanted to take a nap as a result of blood loss."

Uzume giggled and said, "You'd think with so many beautiful women around you you'd be more resistant."

Naruto folded his arms and said, "That doesn't change the fact that I'm a teenager."

Uzume merely nodded placating and asked, "So, do you still want to check out the Sekirei crest? And by extension me?"

Naruto frowned and said, "Erm, yeah. This is going to be weird though."

Uzume laughed and said, "Don't think about it like that." She then stood up and said, "Well, then I suppose these need to come off?"

Naruto gulped and nodded weakly.

Uzume nodded as well and began to remove her shirt, slowly. As she pulled it off completely she shook her head free, her hair flowing down her side as she tossed it aside.

Naruto trembled and asked, "Uhm, what are you doing?"

Uzume, now shirtless, put a finger to her lips with a demure expression and said, "Well, seeing my body for this seal is work, right? I figure, we might as well enjoy it."

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine and he thought, '_Oh boy, this isn't going to end well._'

* * *

Kurama sat in his cage with a grin and said, **"I can't decide what's more entertaining, the woman or watching his head move on a swivel."**

Floating in the air next to him, Menma said, "Hmph, I think you're both fools."

Kurama curled a finger and said, **"I don't recall asking you,"** before flicking him into a wall; leaving the ravenette moaning in pain.

* * *

In the outside world, Uzume gave Naruto a sly smile and untied the band in her hair, pulling it out and waving her head side to side as her pigtail joined the rest of her hair. She then reached down to her belt, undid the strap and then tugged on it, freeing it from her jeans and letting it fall into a pile.

She then walked towards Naruto, unbuttoning her jeans a lowering the zipper, before they fell at her feet; Uzume seamlessly stepping out of them.

Naruto felt like he was in two tailed form with the heat rushing through his entire body, infinitely happy that his pure surprise kept him rooted to the chair, otherwise there was a very real possibility he would do something that would cause Miya to kill him.

He looked at Uzume dumbfounded as she giggled at his expression and asked, "Like what you see?"

He gulped and nodded.

She brought her hands to her back and bent down, both to give herself better leverage and to give Naruto a better view, as she unsnapped her bra, pulled it around and threw it off the side; fully exposing herself to her Ashikabi as she moved to take off the last piece of clothing. Just before removing it, she looked up at Naruto, because she could feel through the bond that he had conflicted feelings. She then asked, "Do I need to remove anything else for the seal to spread?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, I erm…think that's enough."

She smiled sympathetically and walked over to him and said, "Alright then. I would've shown myself to you fully but you're obviously not comfortable with that. I'll keep what I've got while you examine the seal."

Naruto sighed and said, "Thanks, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had the self-control to stop you."

Uzume stuck out her tongue and said, "And I almost didn't want you to."

Naruto flinched and flushed before shaking his head saying, "R-right…let's uh…get started."

Uzume nodded and flopped down on the floor, in a purposefully swift manner she knew would bounce her breasts wonderfully for the blonde's enjoyment. Playing shy she wrapped her arms around herself, not hiding her chest but pushing it up, and said, "Muuu, you're staring." Her act would've been exposed by her smile but Naruto was a bit distracted…until he felt what was essentially a smack on the back of the head.

Shaking his head free of cobwebs he knelt down behind the brunette and thought, '_Thanks._'

"_**Che, it's embarrassing. On the battlefield you're not bad but on the domestic front you're pathetic,**_**"** Kurama said with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and responded, '_What do you expect? I went from living by myself for fifteen years hated by everyone one to having eight beautiful women surrounding me in just a period of a month or so._'

'_Wow, I would've fucked one of 'em by now,_' Menma added.

Naruto moaned and said, '_Please tell me he's not going to stay?_'

* * *

Kurama looked at the ravenette disgruntled and lifted up his paw.

Menma blinked at the darkened space, then looked up and froze as Kurama's hand came down, crushing him.

Kurama then said, **"I don't think he'll be a problem, for now at least."**

* * *

Naruto sighed again as a finger poked the side of his head.

Uzume looked back at him and asked, "You okay?"

Naruto smiled softly and said, "Just a little…surprised."

Uzume chuckled and said, "Why thank you."

Naruto chuckled back and placed a finger on her Sekirei crest and said, "Okay, I'm going to flow some chakra into the crest. I don't know exactly what effect it'll have so be ready."

She nodded and said, "I trust you."

He nodded and flowed some chakra. The crest lit up before shrinking in then expanding out swiftly into a large array of different seals and markings.

Uzume looked around and said, "Is this all really on the back of my neck?"

Naruto nodded and said seriously, "Yeah. Okay, I'm going to start copying down the seals so stay still."

Uzume nodded and did so.

* * *

The two spent the next hour or so with Naruto copying down the contents of the seal array on a large sheet of paper, focusing intently.

Uzume watched in surprise at how focused Naruto was on his work, his previous fluster at her less than clothed state seemingly nonexistent. She smiled happily and thought, '_He may be a bit weird a lot of the time, but if he gets serious, I think Naruto can do anything._'

* * *

After copying the last seal Naruto sighed heavily and said, "Right. I think that does it, you can get dressed now." He then placed his finger on the center of the array and flowed a small amount of chakra, the seal contracting quickly.

Uzume nodded and stood up, grabbing her clothes as Naruto contracted the seal on the paper.

They both froze when a sudden knock sounded on the door, followed by the kind voice of the person they least wanted to see, "Naruto, Uzume, it's almost time for lunch, why don't you two come down?"

The two flinched and began running around blubbering.

The door opened as Miya entered and said, "Are you two…alright…"

She stopped as she saw Uzume, her pants halfway up her legs and Naruto flopped on the floor nearby. Her confused expression slowly shifted to a very sweet, very disturbing smile as her famous, or infamous, hannya mask appeared and she said sweetly, "Na-ru-to, what are you doing?"

Naruto began to sweat profusely and he sputtered before seeing his sheet of paper and said, "It's not what you think! I was trying to study the Sekirei crest!"

Miya's mask disappeared and she raised an eyebrow and said, "The Sekirei crest?"

Naruto blinked in surprise as his diversion worked as Uzume scrambled to get dressed and he nodded and said, "Y-yeah…I got curious after recent events and decided to investigate it. Unfortunately it doesn't work over clothing so I…well…"

Miya sighed with the most unnoticeable frown and said, "Say no more, I understand. I would ask it not happen again but I will be lenient this time." With that she walked away.

Naruto and Uzume released dual tense breaths and laughed uncomfortably.

* * *

Outside, Miya walked over to the stairs and looked at his room before frowning in a mix of confusion and disappointment before heading down the stairs.

Naruto walked out of the room with Uzume and held a scroll that held the large page for the expanded Sekirei crest and stuffed it in his pocket and went down the stairs.

* * *

As they arrived in the dining room, all eyes landed on them, Naruto then mentally slapped his forehead as he immediately realized the others could feel his emotions.

Tsukiumi looked at him extremely irked and accused, "Wouldst thou like to explain exactly what thee were doing just now?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, "No, actually."

Tsukiumi shrunk back in surprise and then stood up swiftly with her hands at her sides and shouted, "Art thou then going to say that the two of thee…thee…consummated?"

Naruto stumbled back red-faced and shouted, "Hell no, we didn't!"

Musubi blinked and wondered aloud, "What's consummate mean?"

"Ufufufu," was Matsu's response as she pulled out a book and handed to her saying, "read this."

Musubi blinked and took the book saying, "Thanks Matsu."

Naruto happen to see the book and reached out, both with his real and chakra arm, shouting, "Don't read that!"

Musubi ignored him and slowly opened the book, only for it to be snatched from her hands by Miya, who turned a sweet smile to Matsu and said, "Matsu, why do you have this? I thought we agreed you would get rid of it."

Matsu shivered and said, "Uhm…well…you see…I uh…was…saving it! Yeah, saving it for a friend!"

Miya smiled wider and said, "Matsu."

The redhead blinked and said, "Yes?"

"You don't have any friends outside the inn," Miya said flatly.

Matsu sweat-dropped and mumbled, "Uh-oh."

Homura stood at the edge of the room as Ororo walked in and asked, "Is it always this lively?"

Homura shrugged with a chuckle and said, "Yeah, pretty much. You get used to it after a while."

Ororo nodded and looked around the room, her eyes landing on Naruto. She narrowed her eyes angrily and placed a hand on the back of her neck and said, "You mind telling Miya I went out to eat? I just remembered the staff discount at the grill runs out tomorrow."

Homura shrugged and said, "No problem."

Ororo hurried out the front door immediately.

Naruto noticed this and entertained a thought of curiousity before a fight began to break out.

"Nay!" Tsukiumi shouted.

"Yes!" Musubi retorted.

"Nay!"

"Yes!"

This exchange continued for several seconds before Naruto mumbled aloud, "Uhm, did I miss something."

'_They're fighting over which one gets to sit next to your sorry ass,_' Menma responded.

'_I thought he was gone?_' Naruto said angrily.

"_**I tried but he's like a flea, he just won't die,**_**"** Kurama said.

Naruto sighed and said, "Great." He then heard a muffled, "Aaauuu," from the kitchen behind the fighting.

Deciding that whatever was going on in there was more peaceful than the outside he went to investigate.

* * *

What he saw was Miya standing in front of her cabinets, all the doors open, and her with a hand on her chin being supported by the other arm and an expression consternation adorning her graceful features.

Making a light tapping to get her attention he asked, "Something wrong?"

Turning to him with a flash of a pout she said, "Yes, actually. I was planning on adding some pork roles to the meal but I don't have all of the ingredients. Do you think you or your clones could go and get some for me?"

Naruto smiled sadly and said, "I'd love to help out but I can't. Most of the shops in the village have me blacklisted and the ones that don't sell me subpar or rotten food. It might be fine for me to eat it thanks to Kurama but the rest of you could get really sick, so I can't."

Miya sighed in annoyance but turned to the dining room as the sound of a confrontation sounded.

Naruto looked out and said, "Oh boy, that doesn't look good."

Miya walked out the door to begin scolding them when she noticed the focus of their bout, the place of who would sit beside Naruto.

Naruto then felt a chill run down his spine as a grin only described as truly conniving appeared on her features as she got everyone's attention, with her usual method naturally, and said, "Now that I have your focus, I do believe I have a solution to your conflict that won't end in bloodshed."

The girls who were then feuding, Tsukiumi, Musubi as well as Rias and Taki, froze and turned to her.

She held out four slips of paper that Naruto never saw her make and said, "This is a list of items. The one who can get the items, pay for the items and get back here fastest will get the spot next to Naruto for the rest of today."

The four girls looked at each other confidently and said in unison, "Right!"

* * *

The patrons of Izumo Inn stood at the front gate piled near the door as they saw Miya standing directly in front of them with Rias, Musubi, Taki and Tsukiumi lined up in front of her.

Miya giggled deviously and asked, "I assume everyone knows the rules?"

All four nodded.

Miya raised her hand in the air and said, "Ready?" She then chopped downward and said, "Go!"

All four immediately took. Well, three did. Taki was forced to run through the streets due to her weaker physical strength.

Uzume walked up to her and said amusedly, "You're unbelievable you know that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Miya said innocently.

Team seven thought in unison, '_Yeah right._'

Uzume folded her arms and said, "Pawning off your shopping to them by using Naruto as bait."

Miya giggled demurely and said in fake shock, "I would never do something like that. Besides, why aren't you participating?"

Uzume put her hands behind her head and said, "I got close enough today." After that she merely walked back into the house.

* * *

Musubi hopped along the rooftops of the Leaf Village heading towards a grocery store when she ran spotted Ororo, and dropped down to chat.

"Hey Ororo," Musubi said cheerily.

Ororo turned and said, "Oh, hey Musubi. What're you up to?"

Pumping her fists she said, "We're having a shopping race! The winner gets to sit beside Naruto for lunch and dinner without argument! Oh no, I forgot! Sorry Ororo, gotta go!" The excitable girl then sped off along the rooftops.

Looking at the girl's shadow disbelieving, Ororo rubbed her neck and thought, '_Is that boy really that wonderful? Then why do I feel like I'm about to die each time he looks at me?_' Sighing in frustration she continued wandering around the village.

* * *

Naruto walked into the kitchen and saw Miya preparing meals to be reheated later and asked, "Hey, want some help? You did say you'd start teaching me some of your recipes."

Miya turned with a soft smile and said, "I did didn't I. Very well. I'm almost finished with this one so you can't be of much help but I will be starting on another dish in a few minutes you can help on."

Naruto nodded and said, "Need to do anything before then?"

Miya pointed to a stack of containers with food in them using her spoon and said without looking, "Take those down to the cellar and stick them in the freezer. By the time you finish I should be done."

Just a few seconds later Naruto said, "All done."

Miya popped up in surprise and turned to see three Narutos behind her. Slumping her shoulders in an amused sigh she said, "Ah, I forgot about that. I'll still be a few minutes so why don't you just wait there?"

Naruto nodded and took a seat as his clones dispelled.

* * *

After about five minutes Miya put the lid on the last container and said, "Okay. Now I'll teach you how to make my own ramen recipe."

"Ramen!" Naruto shouted with glee.

Miya blinked and said, "Yes. I take it you like ramen?"

Naruto assumed a melodramatic pose with his right leg perched high, his left arm at his side, his right clenched in front of him in a fist and staring up into the middle distance and said, "Of course I do! Ramen is the single best food in the universe, and is equaled in pure awesome by the color orange, ya know!"

Miya blinked curiously at his speech before Naruto saw her do something he'd never seen before. She laughed. Not her usual playful giggle but a heavy laughter that forced her to wrap her arms around her waist.

Sighing as she caught her breath she said, "My, that's quite a unique world view you have. I can honestly say I've never heard that before. I suppose I will need to remember that won't I?"

Naruto blinked confused and mumbled, "Why?"

Ignoring his question she said, "To start, I'll show you the pan and instruments I use to cook it."

Forgetting his previous curiousity he said with a deep nod, "Right!"

* * *

Nearly twenty minutes after the shopping race began, Musubi's voice echoed through the inn shouting, "I'm home! And I won!"

"That's great Musubi," Naruto said in forced excitement as he and Miya rounded the corner to see Musubi standing triumphantly with a smile, while Rias and Tsukiumi stood, or slouched, behind her panting heavily.

Naruto looked around and asked, "Uhm, where's Taki?"

Musubi looked around and tilted her head, saying, "I don't know."

After that said Sekirei came stumbling into the inn, covered in sweat and falling over in a heat saying, "I'm…done…here's…stuff…" in between pants.

Naruto blinked at her and tapped her with the end of his foot, no response.

Miya clasped her hands and said, "Good work everyone. Now, if you'll follow me Naruto, I'll teach how to prepare this dish."

Pumping a fist with a determined expression he said, "Right! Let's go."

As they walked away, Tsukiumi narrowed her eyes and asked aloud, "Hath thou noticed that Naruto is spending quite an amount of time with Miya?"

Musubi shrugged and said, "I never really paid attention. As long as he's happy I don't care where or who he spends his time with."

Tsukiumi narrowed her eyes and then sighed heavily as she placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head saying, "Musubi, Musubi, thou naïve girl. I doth suppose tis bliss within thy ignorance, nay?"

Musubi scrunched her brow in thought and then said flatly, "What?"

* * *

Miya and Naruto stood in the kitchen preparing the meal for lunch. Rather, Naruto and three clones did while Miya directed them.

Miya watched as one clone was chopping a vegetable for the meal and said, "Hold on, you need to chop the slices a little thicker."

Nodding it moved the knife over slightly and, with a nod from Miya, resumed chopping.

She looked at the real Naruto, who was actually doing the cooking, seeing as a single drop of hot grease would dispel a clone, and said, "You're cooking the ingredients a little too high. Lower the temperature just a bit."

He nodded and did so.

Their time in the kitchen passed like that until the meal was finished.

* * *

Around the time the meal finished cooking Ororo walked in and saw the food being handed out. She looked at it with a grumble in her stomach.

"I thought you were going to eat at the grill?" Homura teased.

Ororo shrugged and said, "I got sidetracked, plus I forgot they don't have my favorite dish today so I don't want to waste it."

Homura shrugged and said, "Well lunch here is about to start so you are just in time."

Ororo nodded and moved to the table.

Naruto looked at her and said, "Hey Ororo. Didn't expect you to be here for lunch."

Ororo turned her glance away and said, "I changed my mind."

Naruto shrugged and handed her a plate of food.

After a few minutes he had passed out the food to everyone and sat at his spot at the table, Akitsu and a cheery Musubi flanking him. Although the tension was still palpable since Tsukiumi was less than thrilled with the arrangement.

Miya nodded and said, "Alright, let's eat everyone."

The room nodded and they all began to eat.

After a few seconds Miya asked, "How is it?"

"It's really good, I love the flavor!" spouted Musubi instantly.

Akitsu gave a silent nod as she crunched on a frozen piece of food.

Tsukiumi mulled over her opinion and said with an approving nod, "Yes, tis good. The flavor is a good mix and tis not too strong."

Sasuke nodded as well and said, "Not bad, it's a little spicy though."

Yahan leaned her head on her hands and asked, "Oh, so you don't like spicy foods?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and said, "No. I don't like spicy food, why?"

Yahan giggled and said, "Well with that fireball of yours, I figured you liked it hot."

Sasuke flinched as she leaned in to accentuate her words, pressing his arm right between her breasts.

Ororo was the last to reveal her opinion saying, "I like it as well."

Miya nodded and motioned to Naruto and said, "Well then you needn't give me the praise; it was Naruto who made it. I simply watched over him."

Everyone turned their attention to the blonde in surprise and confusion.

The unilateral stares of surprise caused the blonde to blush a little. He reacted by rubbing the back of his head and saying with a grin, "I had some help in the form of clones too."

Akitsu looked from him to the food and said quietly, "Food…prepared by Naruto." Her lips curled unnoticeably into smile as a red tint settled on her cheeks.

Each of Naruto's Sekirei nodded in approval with Musubi wrapping him in a hug and saying, "It's so good Naruto! Thank you."

Naruto smiled weakly and said, "Ah…t-thanks, but could you loosen your grip? I can't breathe."

"Ah!" she shrieked as she pulled back, the blonde choking in air as he was freed. She then looked down at her plate and moaned.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Something wrong?"

Musubi picked up her plate and held it out, her eyes big and watery as she said, "It's all gone."

Naruto trembled at the expression before sighing and saying, "Alright, I'll give you some of mine."

"Yay!" Musubi cheered while raising her arms.

"But!" Naruto said seriously.

Musubi attempted to pay close attention, giving an expression of concentration Naruto couldn't stand and said, "You need to catch it."

"Catch it?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Naruto nodded and said, "I had to work for this food, and since it's mine you're taking so do you."

She nodded and got into what he supposed was a stance for catching, but that he thought looked like a dog on its hind legs.

Shrugging he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and tossed it in the air to girl.

She hopped off her knees and caught it with her mouth.

Naruto sweat-dropped and mumbled, "Where'd she learn to do that?"

Musubi blinked and said, "From a book Matsu showed me."

Naruto looked at Matsu, who was giggling in her normal perverted manner. Naruto merely sighed, while Uzume slapped her fist in the palm of her hand and whispered deviously, "I've got an idea."

Ororo looked from him to the food with a surprised expression. She then grit her teeth and trembled slightly. At that point she stood up and said, "I just remembered something I need to do. I'll be back soon."

Naruto and the others watched her leave curiously. Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion as she walked away and thought, '_Does she hate me?_'

'_I do._'

'_Shut up Menma._'

* * *

Lunch continued without much commotion. Aside from one point when Homura sneezed and set Matsu's hair on fire. Tsukiumi took the chance and dropped several dozen gallons of water on the girl. Partially to put out her hair but also as punishment for putting the moves on "her husband".

Although that plan backfired when Naruto saw that Tsukiumi's water had made Matsu's dress effectively transparent.

Tsukiumi stomped off, having lost to her again.

After that Miya and Naruto were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes when Musubi walked in.

Naruto turned and said, "Oh, hey Musubi. Need something?"

She nodded and asked, "Is it alright if I help with the dishes?"

Naruto looked to Miya who shrugged. He nodded and said, "Sure. I'm washing them and Miya's putting them away, so why don't you take the ones I wash and put them in that bin to dry?"

Musubi nodded happily and took each dish he offered and, with a level of grace unexpected from the fist fighter, placed and aligned each dish perfectly.

Naruto was understandably impressed.

After finishing that little chore, Naruto turned to Miya and asked, "Uhm, if you're not still angry about before, would you mind giving me some more training?"

Miya shook her head and said, "Not at all. We've got a while before dinner and I don't need to start training Musubi yet so that's fine."

Naruto grinned in response and the two headed out to the backyard.

* * *

Arriving in the yard with swords in hand, Miya said, "Right, last time I was about to teach you the battojutsu."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. That attack looks really effective."

Miya nodded and said, "It is. It is a common power attack utilized by samurai in combat. It is also an extremely fast attack that only one attack I know of can match."

Naruto whistled and said, "So, what's the first step?"

She nodded and slid her blade into the obi on her waist and said, "The first step is to know where to put the sword. In your case you would put it in your belt."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and tugged on his belt a little, sliding his katana into space on his left side. He pointed and asked, "Like this?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, very good. Now the second step is to attain the proper stance." Saying that she slid her right foot forward and grabbed the sheath with her left hand and turned it so the curve faced outwards.

Nodding, Naruto did the same.

Miya smiled and said, "Very good." After that she pushed on the blade with her index finger, Naruto repeating the process with his katana. She then lifted the sword forward, bringing it partially out of her obi.

Naruto did the same.

Miya then said, "Good, you learn quickly."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Well with Anko I had to learn fast or die."

Miya blinked in confusion.

Naruto sighed and said, "Forget it. What's next?"

Miya nodded and said, "This next part is a little complicated, so you should pay attention."

He nodded surely and watched.

Slowly so he could see she slid the sheath back and pulled the sword from it, swinging it forward in an instant using the momentum that was stored by holding the blade back.

Naruto watched in awe and said, "Wow, that was really fast."

She smiled and said, "Yes. It will take you practice to get that fast but you'll make it."

Naruto nodded and concentrated, then repeated the same process. His swing was much messier and much slower than Miya's as his sheath was thrown out to the side and his sword was crooked.

Miya nodded and said, "That's very good. I suppose you should get a few clones practicing it."

Naruto nodded and ten shadow clones burst into existence. The group nodded and formed a line nearby and began practicing the swing.

Miya turned to him and said, "There's a little more to it after that but you need to get this part down first. Now, I want to personally test how your training has been going."

Naruto flinched and said, "R-really?"

She nodded and said, "Yes. Also, I want you to deactivate your restriction seals, and just like Kakashi told you, come at me with the intent to kill."

Naruto widened his eyes and said, "Are you sure that's safe?"

Miya giggled and said, "You couldn't touch me in a million years."

Naruto became disgruntled and murmured, "Thanks for the reassurance."

Miya waved off his insult and said, "It matters not. Now, come at me."

Naruto shrugged and readied his practice blade.

Miya did as well and nodded.

Naruto surged chakra from his feet and shot off at Miya in a blur.

Miya's eyes widened in mild surprise but she easily blocked his strike.

Naruto used his stored momentum to spin off and attempt a low horizontal strike.

Miya hopped over his blade before lightly smacking the back of his head.

Naruto moaned as he rubbed the welt on his head and said, "Owwww, that hurt."

Miya giggled and said, "I told you."

Naruto stood up and grunted, assuming a kenjutsu stance and saying, "Alright, let's go."

Miya nodded and prepared to continue.

Naruto lunged and the two continued their sparring. Though for Naruto it was more of a beating.

Ororo wandered through the inn and heard the sounds of a fight. She went to the patio and watched Naruto and Miya fight. As she observed the spar, she focused on Naruto as he fought. She watched him attack Miya with full force, holding nothing back as he fought with her.

Her thoughts raced as she saw him fight with all his might, yet still get beaten down by Miya. Despite that he continued to get up and fight over and over. Ororo unconsciously began smiling as she watched him and thought, '_He fights his hardest, being beaten down, yet never quitting. I could almost accept…no. I can never accept him or anyone._' She narrowed her eyes in anger and began to walk away but found her mind would not remove focus from the blonde and his fight.

Eventually Naruto got his face slammed into the ground and Miya said with a sigh, "I believe this is enough for today. As soon as you and your clones are done I will begin training your Sekirei."

Naruto nodded while rubbing the increasingly large welts on his head. As Miya walked away he noticed Ororo standing on the deck, a rather annoyed expression on her face.

He frowned and asked, "Is something wrong?"

She walked off the edge and onto the grass, saying plainly, "Fight me."

Naruto blinked in confusion cleaned out his ear and said, "Mind repeating that?"

She narrowed her eyes and said, "Fight me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Any particular reason?"

She walked towards him and said, "You confuse me, nothing about you seems to fit. This village hates you, yet you want to be its leader. I've seen how this village beats you down, yet I haven't seen you frown. Someone like that is anomalous. I wish to fix that."

Naruto sighed and said with a smile, "You could've just asked, ya know."

Ororo narrowed her eyes again, and said, "No. People lie, cheat, and..." she paused as she wrapped herself in her arms defensively, something Naruto found odd, and said, "...and hurt each other. But," she puased, her stoicism returning, and then said, "Fists don't. When you fight someone one on one they expose themselves, unable to hide behind a blockade of their own emotions."

Naruto looked at her in surprise and said with a shrug, "Sure. Right now?"

Ororo responded by getting into a taijutsu stance, one Naruto had never seen before. He sealed away his sword as his shadow clones dispelled in bursts of smoke and assumed his own taijutsu stance.

Ororo narrowed her eyes and lunged with a high punch that Naruto ducked.

Using his prone position, he planted his right hand on the ground and pivoted on it, attempting to strike her legs.

Ororo jumped over his sweep and kicked him his abdomen as he attempted to stand, knocking the wind out of him and landing him back on tje ground.

Naruto got to his knees and said annoyed, "What was that for?!"

Ororo sneered and said, "You're not trying."

Naruto stood and said, "I'm not trying to kill you! Why would I do that?"

Her sneer deepened into a glare and she clenched her fists, before raising her hand to him.

Naruto blinked and asked, "Uhm, what are you-!"

He stopped as a blast of lightning shot past him. He turned to her and suddenly he realized something. "Ororo…you're…"

She stood still before wincing and crumpling to her knees, reaching for her neck.

"Ororo!" Naruto shouted and ran over.

"Stay back!" she yelled, slapping his hand away, unintentionally blasting him away with wind and into a wall. She glowered at him as her pain faded. Standing with a sigh she stared at his unconscious form and thought, '_Him. My body is falling apart because of him. All I need to do is…_' She walked over, charging lightning in her hand. She raised it in the air ready to strike.

"Chidori Senbon!"

Ororo leapt back as a hail of light blue needles made of lightning shot at her position. She looked up at the roof and saw Sasuke looking down at her annoyed, his hand sparking.

He jumped down to the ground and asked her, "Mind explaining why you were about to kill him?"

Ororo sneered at him and charged a ball of lightning, tossing it as she shouted, "Go away!" She threw the ball at him.

Sasuke reached for his sword and instantly sliced downwards, the ball splitting and crashing behind him.

Naruto stood up and said as his injuries healed, "Stop! Ororo, why're you doing this?!"

Ororo sneered but knelt as she felt her neck burn and furled wind below her feet and flew off.

"Ororo!" Naruto shouted.

"_**Naruto,**_**"** Kurama interrupted.

Naruto stopped with a grunt and responded, '_Now isn't the best time._'

"_**It's important,**_**"** he said.

Naruto sighed and asked while walking, '_What is it?_'

"_**Sad to say I hadn't noticed before because there are so many already. But I think about four days ago one of those connections formed. I didn't notice it until now because something strange started happening,**_**" **Kurama told him.

Naruto stopped at the door to his room and said, '_And what's that?_'

"_**Around the time you winged Rias that connection started pulsating. Then the other day it began crumbling.**_**"**

'_Crumbling?_' Naruto asked in confusion. Naruto closed his eyes quickly.

* * *

Moments later he found himself in front of Kurama's cage.

Kurama merely pointed up.

Naruto looked and his eyes widened as did his jaw.

There was a new connection with slowly pulsating energy. However the pipe was cracked and damaged, with pieces falling down as the energy began to leak out. But what Naruto noticed most of all was that some of his own chakra was reversing in the flow, flowing into the pipe, seemingly hastening the decay. Naruto grit his teeth and asked, "How didn't you notice this?"

Kurama shrugged and said, **"I didn't until I caught the sight of something falling from the ceiling. I didn't know what to make of it until now."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"**Around the time you started fighting that woman, the crumbling quickened. And then when she struck you, specifically the moment she made contact, a massive piece fell out…hmm? Naruto, Kinky's trying to talk to you,"** Kurama said.

Naruto blinked and said, "Huh?"

"**The kinky redhead,"** he said plainly.

Naruto sighed and asked, "You mean Matsu?"

Kurama nodded.

Nodding, Naruto vanished from the sewer.

* * *

Naruto awoke being shaken by Matsu. "Ma…tsu…wait…up…" he sputtered out.

Matsu sighed and said, "About time, what took you so long?"

Naruto waited for the room to stop spinning and said, "I was talking to Kurama, what do you need?"

Matsu motioned to her room and said, "Come with me."

Naruto nodded and followed, seeing that she held no hint of amusement in her voice.

As they entered, Matsu pointed to one of her screens, showing an image of Ororo.

Naruto pointed to it and asked, "What's this?"

Matsu nodded and said, "When she showed up I knew she looked familiar but I couldn't place it. Then I discovered this. Her identity is No. 21 Ororo, alias: The Storm Sekirei. This information was hard to track down but MBI uses a series of aerial, chakra-based information transmitters that use sealing jutsu to communicate with each other. I was able to access that stream and got into their main information storage system, which my system was able to display here."

Naruto whistled and said, "Impressive…now what's this got to do with Ororo?"

Matsu nodded and pointed to a section of information and said, "Look at this. She's one of a rare breed of Sekirei."

Naruto looked and read the words that said, "Recovery Experiment Eighteen…what's that mean?"

Matsu pushed up her glasses and said, "Not all of the Sekirei survived what originally happened to us, and a few needed to be revived. Minaka's solution, or perhaps the solution of his unknown partner, was to inject Sekirei cells into a human. I can't be certain how but this somehow causes the Sekirei's mind and body to utilize the host's lifeforce and reforge them into a Sekirei while maintaining their human appearance. Unfortunately none of the experiments I know of were successful. Most of them couldn't handle the transformation and died in process. A few lived and survived the process. Unfortunately it wasn't without complications. One of which is the effects of a reaction are hastened on their bodies and more violent. It also causes their powers to go out of control faster."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought and then said, "Are you saying that's what's happening to Ororo?"

Matsu nodded and said, "Yeah, essentially. Because of her reacting to someone, and the fact that she wants to remain independent is making it worse."

"Independent?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Ororo is the Storm Sekirei, who emerged on the playing field shortly after Homura was winged by Sakura in order to effectively take up his role as Guardian of the Unwinged Sekirei. Plus there are…other things that make her not want to be winged," Matsu said, growing downcast.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "What?"

"Apparently…" she said, trailing. Taking a breath she calmed herself and said, "Apparently some of the more…twisted scientists tried to take advantage of the fact that she was originally human."

Naruto grit his teeth and asked, "What do you mean?"

Matsu sighed and turned to her computer and brought up a file.

Naruto looked at the file and for a moment, his irises turned red. The file read that the scientist had attempted to use Ororo's dwindling human body to make her an artificial Jinchuriki. They had attempted to use her existence as a human to grow a new tailed beast they had full control over. Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is that possible? I thought the tailed beasts were…you know, unique."

Matsu nodded and said, "Not as unique as everyone thought. It turns out…that the chakra that Sekirei use is exactly the same as the chakra that makes up the tailed beasts."

Naruto's eyes widened and he asked, '_Did you know about this?_'

"…_**I…had an inkling after the events in the Land of Waves. I sensed similar chakra to my own both within Akitsu and that scythe girl. I thought it was merely from me injecting them with my own. It seems I was wrong. Naruto, I need to ask her something,**_**"** Kurama said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes but nodded.

Matsu was about ask what he was nodding for when a shadow clone appeared next to him with the features of Naruto in tailed beast mode. Kurama opened his eyes and asked, **"You, you're Matsu, correct?"**

Matsu nodded slowly as she thought, '_What is this? Why is this shadow clone giving off so much power, it's almost suffocating?_'

"**I need to ask you something,"** Kurama said plainly.

Matsu simply nodded.

"**The Sekirei, is your origin, with old man Six Paths?"** Kurama asked.

Matsu nodded and said, "If what, No. 01 told me is correct then yes, it is."

"No. 01? Who's that?" Naruto asked.

* * *

Downstairs, Miya stood chopping food in the kitchen with a rubber duck that had the number "02" printed on it. She momentarily stopped and looked at it.

"I…can't say. I never got No. 01's name, all I know is that she was the leader of the Sekirei. I can't say anymore, besides. You need to get going," she stopped and pointed to a screen that displayed a red dot with the number "21" next to it.

Naruto nodded and asked, "So, what do I do?"

Matsu sighed and said, "Unfortunately the only way to stop Ororo's body from simply blowing itself up is for her to emerge and if I'm correct then-"

Matsu stopped midsentence as one of her monitors beeped.

"Damn," she cursed under her breath. "What I feared most has just happened," she said as she pointed to a screen.

* * *

Atop MBI's tower, Minaka stood in front of his screens with the long-haired Pein behind him, chuckling madly.

Pein narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you laughing at? You had better not be interfering again." He walked over to the cackling man who turned and pointed to a screen.

It showed a letter that was just sent out to all Ashikabi, "Attention all Ashikabi. A storm is emerging in the Leaf Village and will soon break apart. Find it and wing it to make it yours."

Pein turned to Minaka and glowered, saying, "You had better be glad I am Ningendo, otherwise you would be dead. Madara has also informed me that when it comes to any of the Sekirei relating to the Jinchuriki, I am to, annoyingly enough, let you do as you please. I truly wish I knew what that man's plan was."

"_That,_" a deep voice said, "is none of your concern, _Pein._ You need only do as I say for the reformation to come. Besides, the angrier a Jinchuriki gets the more power their tenant gains, so if it means angering one of them, especially _its_ container, I will allow it. But know this, Minaka. If you interfere outside of these parameters then even God couldn't save."

Both men nodded as a hooded figure walked inside.

Minaka cackled and said, "I wonder, how will the fox act now? Will he save the storm or extinguish it?"

Pein narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you so obsessed with that boy anyway? He is no different than the other Jinchuriki, merely a container for our power."

Minaka chuckled and said, "Because, _that_ man entrusted his legacy to the boy. And I want to see what he will do with it, or if he will even discover it. The best way to know, is to pound his soul into the ground until he is forced to use it. After all, he not only has that but fate on his side. It will only be more intriguing if he has those on his side."

Pein sighed in annoyance at the man's cryptic words and averted his eyes to the screen that showed Ororo. He then turned and said, "I need to meet with the others, keep him under control."

Konan bowed and said, "Yes." Konan sneered at the white haired man and raised her right hand.

"H-hey! Where is all this paper comi-hmphmphumphhhpemp!"

"You talk too much," she said plainly.

* * *

**And that's that. Tell me what you guys thought, specifically how the story has progressed so far and how this arc has gone. Also, what do you guys think of Menma being a snarky voice in the back of Naruto's mind until he deals with him?**

**I think that's about it so I suppose that's the end of the chapter.**


	24. New Bird, New Mission, Old Sensei

Chapter XXIV

**Hello world, hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too grueling. This was a hard chapter to write, not just because of what happened but because I've been up to my eyeballs in shit to do over the past few weeks. I apologize for the upload speed having slowed down. And sadly, come Tuesday my ass will be glued to the television playing Grand Theft Auto V so don't expect too much from me next week. Anyway, as usual thanks to my coauthor Jose19 and my other idea bucket, you know who you are. I can't think of anything else to say about this chapter besides that damned filler arc is finally over. I think it will be a while before I do one of these original arcs again. It's hard as hell and I'm not as pleased with the results as I'd like to be. Anyway I'd just like to offer fair warning that I drop a bombshell in this chapter so be ready. Although some of you may have figured it out already. Either way it's time for reviewer responses so let's go.**

**Dragon Man 180: Oh yes, pretty much everything about Naruto would cause Jiraiya to make him his student, just for the pleasure of ogling his Sekirei all day long. **

**Exanime Draco: You're quite the astute one aren't you. Specifically what that meant is that the original human's body remains intact in how it looks, but at the genetic level is transformed into a Sekirei. Your second idea, just becoming a Sekirei with the powers of the one whose cells were implanted is how it works.**

**blue-hart: If I'm correct then the story your talking about is where I got the idea. Ororo also won't the only human turned Sekirei in the story.**

**Jose19: Oh yes, that she is. I don't plan on him becoming evil, I can tell you that much now. Yes, Naruto's inner strength is what makes him who he is.**

**Strife666: Yes, that she is. And if my description didn't explain it I'm using the Ororo from the X-Men anime as her design.**

**Markus-Antonius: Don't worry, Menma isn't permanent. He will be dealt with later on.**

**Guest: Not sure if you will ever see this response, but the reason the villagers didn't kill Gato after he killed Kaiza is because he had a slew of thugs with him.**

**theneutralite: You're just a reviewing machine aren't you? Yes Zetsu already. As for the Leaf 12, yes; I do intend for each one to gain at least one Sekirei.**

**Phew, now that that's done let's move on.**

* * *

Naruto and Matsu stood in Matsu's room looking over the many screens in her room as a message displayed.

Matsu narrowed her eyes and said, "What I feared most has just happened."

Naruto looked at the screen and growled. On it was a message from Minaka saying, "Attention all Ashikabi. A storm is emerging in the Leaf Village and will soon break apart. Find it and wing it to make it yours." Naruto sighed and said, "So, if the only way to help her is to wing her, then I suppose I need to get going."

Matsu nodded and said, "Yeah, and in her current state I don't know if she'd be strong enough to fend off unfriendly Ashikabi. So you better hurry."

Naruto nodded and then grumbled, "This would be so much easier if I knew Flying Raijin Level 2. Guess I'll just need to hoof it for now."

"Hold on," Matsu said.

Naruto turned and she handed him another headset.

"You'll need this so I can lead you to where Ororo is," Matsu said as he put it on his head.

"Right, thanks. If you get a chance can you tell the others, I need to get going," Naruto said and turned.

"Yeah, I'll let them know," Matsu replied as he left.

* * *

With that he left the room and made his way to the stairs, but was stopped by a hand.

He turned to see Musubi standing with a worried expression. She asked, "Is Ororo alright?"

Naruto frowned and said, "I'm not sure. But she's in trouble so I need to go find her."

Musubi nodded and said seriously, "Yes, we can't let her love be suppressed."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and thought, '_She…she was like a different person just now._'

Musubi tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

Naruto sighed and mumbled, "Aaaand it's gone."

"Hm?" Musubi asked.

Naruto waved a hand and said, "Nevermind, come on, let's go."

* * *

She nodded and the two of them went down the stairs, where they ran into Tsukiumi and Rias.

"Where dost thou think thou art going?" Tsukiumi asked at their rushed movement.

Naruto grumbled and said, "We need to go help Ororo now, so I don't have time to sit around and talk."

Tsukiumi frowned and said, "I don't understand, I demand that thee-"

Naruto cut her off and said, "Need to go now, follow or get out of the way!"

Tsukiumi widened her eyes at his commanding tone, turning slightly red before nodding and saying, "Aye, we leave post haste."

He nodded and the group of four ran out the front door.

Miya stood in the hall behind them with a frown.

* * *

Ororo stumbled through an alleyway, leaning against the wall as her breath was shallow and she sweat heavily.

"Damn, why now? Why this? I…I need to remain untethered. So that…so that I can break his plans," she said through shallow breaths. Growling she corrected herself and stumbled further, moving towards some unknown destination.

* * *

Naruto, Rias, Musubi and Tsukiumi were moving along the rooftops tracking Ororo.

"Pray tell, why exactly art we pursuing her?" Tsukiumi asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto sighed and said, "It's a bit complicated. Put simple, Ororo is an artificial Sekirei created by infusing Sekirei genes with a human host. Based on what Matsu told me, MBI did a bunch of disgusting experiments that twisted her. I don't know how this all fits together, her protection of unwinged Sekirei and her treatment by MBI, but all I do know is that she's in a lot of trouble. Her powers are going out of control, and due her control over the weather the others are going to want her."

"Which means that she is going to be weakened from her reaction and won't be able to defend herself," Rias added.

Naruto nodded and said, "Exactly, so we've got to find her before any of the others. Or at the very least Kiba can find her first if we don't."

* * *

"Achoo!" Kiba sneezed as he sat in his house with Shijime sitting on his lap.

"You okay Kiba?" she asked as she looked up at the genin.

He smirked and patted her head and said, "I'm just fine. Just a little sneeze."

"Hey, shouldn't you get going?" Narashino asked.

Kiba shrugged and said, "I know which Sekirei that message is talking about. I'm sure Naruto can handle it. Besides the last time I got involved with him I nearly got killed by that crazy banshee."

Nanami shivered and said, "She's scary."

"Damn right she is! I still don't know why he was so hot for her back in the academy but I'd say he's over it now," Kiba said with a chuckle.

* * *

Sakura walked down the hall of the upper level of Izumo Inn and stopped, her head curled back and then, "Achoo!"

Homura raised an eyebrow and asked, "You alright?"

Sakura nodded and said, "Yup, just a sneeze."

"Hey!" Matsu shouted as she left her room.

Sakura flinched at the sudden shout. She turned to the perverted redhead and said, "Y-yes?"

A serious expression on her face, Matsu said, "I've been looking for you guys."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said, "Why?"

"Naruto and a few of the others went out to go find Ororo. She's reacting to him and not exactly thrilled about it. Unfortunately Minaka's set up another one of his challenges to the other Ashikabi and Ororo likely wouldn't be able to defend herself if multiple Sekirei came after her," Matsu reported.

Sakura frowned and asked, "Are we…supposed to go help?"

Matsu growled and said, "YES!" Handing her and Homura headsets she said, "Here, these will allow you to communicate with me and the others while you're out there, plus I can keep you updated on the positions of trouble spots."

Sakura nodded and said, "That's nice and all…but how will you actually track _us_?"

Matsu grinned and said, "I'm tracking the headsets. They have chakra receivers in them that I can pinpoint with my motion trackers across the village."

Sakura nodded and put on the headset as did Homura and said, "Okay, then we'll head out."

Matsu nodded and said, "Good luck."

* * *

Naruto and the others were continuing to jump going to the last spot they were told Ororo was at when they heard Matsu's voice in their headsets.

"Listen up guys, Sakura and Homura have joined the chase. They're main goal is going to be holding off any other Sekirei and Ashikabi though so it's you guys' job to find and handle Ororo," she said.

Naruto nodded and said, "Got it, where is she now?"

"Right, she's about thirty meters west of you, she's moving slowly. Wait, she's not alone…damn she's got some other Sekirei after her. I think they're just tailing her though, there's two of them," Matsu responded.

"Okay," Naruto replied. He then turned to the others and said, "Come on, let's get going!"

They nodded together and followed him.

* * *

Kanon and Aiko stood atop one of the rooftops trailing behind Ororo who was limping on the ground.

Aiko snarled and said, "Dammit Kanon, why're we just standing here?"

"Because, Saito ordered us to wait until she collapses and then just make sure she doesn't leave after that," Kanon replied calmly.

Aiko scoffed and said, "Always standing around, I want to do some fighting."

Kanon shook her head and said, "No, for now we will watch and wait."

Aiko growled and said, "Fine."

* * *

On the ground below, Ororo continued to stumble around as a droplet of water hit her cheek. She looked up and growled.

Clouds were beginning to form over the Leaf Village, rain falling from them.

"Damn, at this rate…I'll never make it," Ororo growled. Concentrating, wind picked up below her before sending her into the air as she flew.

* * *

Naruto looked up as rain began to hit his face and said, "Crap, this is bad."

Rias nodded and said, "At least my flames won't be hampered."

Naruto looked back and said with a nod, "Good. Come on, we need to get to Ororo before those other Sekirei decide to move in."

"Then we gotta hurry!" Musubi declared instantly speeding up.

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Damn, she can really motor."

"Tis an advantage to being a simple fist-type I suppose," Tsukiumi commented.

Naruto smiled and said, "Yeah, suppose that's one plus to being a powerhouse. Now c'mon, we can't get left behind."

* * *

"Arghhh, dammit! No matter where we look there's nothing!" Sakura screeched in frustration.

Homura sighed and said, "Getting mad about it won't solve anything."

"But it sure makes me feel better!" she shrieked before turning and running off again.

Homura pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I think I need my head examined." Sighing again he continued to follow her.

* * *

Minaka stood crouched on the ground panting and said, "Whew! You sure do hold that paper tight don't you?"

Konan stood across from him twitching an eyebrow as Pein stood nearby with two others, the one that called itself Ningendo and another Pein with long orange hair tied in a high ponytail with a single long bang on the right side, standing behind him, holding Konan from slaughtering the annoying man.

Pein narrowed his eyes and said, "Tell me Minaka, since you seem to know the Sekirei so well, what do you predict will happen?"

Sitting back so that he was sitting flat on the ground, Minaka rubbed his chin in thought and then said with a finger pointing up, "I predict that No. 21 will try her hardest to come here and kill me. All Sekirei have an innate knowledge of where the MBI HQ is located so they can return should they feel the need. As a result, due to the flights of fancy some of my scientists took with her she will try and take out her anger on me. Sadly though, even if it was a straight shot with no obstructions between here and there she wouldn't make it as her body would break down before getting halfway. Due to her…unique origins her body is much more unstable than the other Sekirei without an Ashikabi. Meaning that within…twelve hours I think, her body will completely break down, disintegrating itself because of the massive fluctuations of her chakra."

Pein listened to his words and began to twitch an eyebrow and said calmly, "So each Sekirei knows exactly where the MBI main base is?"

Minaka nodded and said, "Yes, although they are unaware of our connection, just that this is where MBI's main tower is."

Pein sighed and said, "You…are a very annoying human. I guarantee the moment Madara says you are no longer useful is the moment I eradicate you from this world just for the amount of frustration you provide me."

"Oooohh, sounds like a nice game of cat and mouse if you ask me," Minaka said with a chuckle.

Konan dropped her jaw slightly before closing her eyes and sighing.

* * *

Kanon and Aiko moved along the rooftops following behind Ororo, who was flying despite her movements uncoordinated and clumsy.

"Grr, this rain keeps getting worse! Come on, if we just knock her out now this rain'll stop!" Aiko grumbled.

Kanon narrowed her eyes in annoyance and said, "Dammit Aiko, we've been over this, our orders are-"

"Screw orders, I'm tired of sitting around!" Aiko shouted before charging ahead.

* * *

Ororo continued her path forward. She stopped momentarily when she noticed a presence nearby, she turned just in time for Aiko's midair spin kick to connect with her abdomen and send her plummeting down; crashing into the buildings below.

"Dammit Aiko," Kanon mumbled. Sighing she sped ahead to join her sister Sekirei and they saw Ororo lying in a pile of rubble.

Ororo struggled to sit up and glared at the duo. Standing shakily she said angrily, "I have no business with you, so just leave."

Kanon narrowed her eyes and said, "Sorry, we can't let you leave the village, so you'll need to stay put. Either way I'm No. 41 Kanon."

Aiko smirked and said, "And I'm No. 42 Aiko."

Ororo growled and said, "Stay out of my way and you won't get hurt." Despite her weakened state she managed to stand and concentrate lightning into her right hand.

Aiko grinned and dove for the dark-skinned Sekirei, ready to hit her with another spinning kick.

Ororo raised her hand to retaliate but flinched when a surge of pain went through her.

As Aiko neared her, she felt the wind shift at her side followed by a shout of, "Rasengan!"

The spinning sphere of energy slammed into Aiko's side, rending her shirt and scorching her skin before it burst and sent her flying. Naruto then landed on the roof beside Ororo.

Ororo's eyes widened before she narrowed them and asked, "Why are you here?"

Naruto said, "I can't just let you get forcefully winged by some creep. Besides…you may not have been there for even a full day but you're still a tenant of Izumo Inn." He then turned with a smirk and said, "So that means we help each other out, even if you did punch me in the gut."

Ororo's eyes shot wide before she flinched and grabbed for her neck from the pain.

"Ororo!" Naruto shouted as he turned and knelt to help her. But he put his hand on her shoulder a surge of electricity sent him flying back. Naruto sat up slowly from his downed position and said, "Well…that hurt."

Ororo snarled and said, "Sorry, my powers are-"

"Don't worry, Matsu told me everything. Even…what happened to you," he assured her.

She looked over to him and said, "Heh, you must think I'm some abomination. I'm not even a human or a Sekirei."

"I really don't care."

She turned to him with a shocked expression.

He smiled and said, "I can't say I know you all that well but you go around putting yourself in danger to help others so you can't be a bad person. So, even if you are something in between human and Sekirei, it just means that you are you. That's all."

She continued to simply stare at him, unable to speak.

Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek and said, "Plus, I know how it feels to not even be considered a whole person." To accentuate his point he concentrated some of Kurama's chakra around his hand, enveloping it in a bubbling cloud of red before it receded.

Ororo looked at his hand then to him and said, "You…you're a…Jinchuriki."

He nodded and said, "Yup. Now, I'd say you're powers are probably putting you in a lot of pain, huh?"

Ororo narrowed her eyes and nodded.

He smirked and cracked his knuckles. He then smirked as Musubi, Rias and Tsukiumi dropped down beside him and said, "Then if you don't mind waiting just a minute my friends and I will deal with these two."

Ororo merely nodded and said, "Whatever you're going to do I'd suggest you hurry, I don't know how much-agh," she was interrupted as more pain coursed through her, steam starting to rise from her arms.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and took a step forward but was stopped by Tsukiumi who said with a smirk, "Do not worry husband, thou can deal with her. We shalt handle these ruffians."

Naruto nodded and said, "Go get'em."

Tsukiumi nodded and said, "Musubi, dost thou thinketh that thee can handle the other?"

Musubi pumped her fists and said, "You bet!" Turning on her heel she jumped over to where Aiko hand landed as a result of Naruto's Rasengan.

"I'll keep an eye on these two, why don't you go deal with her?" Rias said.

Tsukiumi looked from Naruto and Ororo and Kanon with worry before saying in a slight pout, "How…how about I'll watch them and thou goes and handles the woman?"

Rias blinked in curiosity then said with a shrug, "Okay, this should be fun." She then jumped from the rooftop she was on to the opposite one where Kanon stood.

Tsukiumi watched as Naruto tended to Ororo and frowned with a blush.

Naruto knelt down beside Ororo and asked, "How are you doing?"

Ororo frowned and said, "I've felt better, I hope you have a plan."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Well, Matsu told me how to stop your deterioration."

"Well!? What is it?!" Ororo demanded before wincing in pain.

Naruto sighed and said, "The only way for this to stop is for you to emerge."

Ororo looked at him in surprise and then anger and said, "I…can't do that."

Naruto frowned and asked, "And why the hell not?"

Gritting her teeth she said, "Because, without me the ones who have yet to emerge don't have a guardian, they're all on their own."

Naruto looked at her seriously before tilting his and saying, "Huh? Why would you emerging stop you from protecting them?"

Ororo frowned in annoyance and said, "…Because, once I'm winged I'm supposed to…tend to my Ashikabi's needs."

Naruto sighed and gave a soft smile before raising a hand, curling his finger and lightly flicking Ororo on the forehead, making her "Eep" in what he thought was an adorable reaction, and said, "I don't know what the adjustors taught you, but I don't treat my Sekirei like servants."

Listening as he spoke, Ororo took notice of Rias and Musubi taking on their opponents, fighting them with all their strength. Although Rias seemed to be having an easier time since she merely used her flames to keep Kanon at bay. She turned back to him as he continued.

"My Sekirei are my friends, and if there's anything any of them ever need, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help them. So, should I wing you I have no intention of stopping you from being the Guardian of the Unwinged Sekirei. If that's something you feel like you need to do, then just go ahead. Just don't forget that we're here if you need help, I've been through that already and it's not pretty," he finished with a chuckle.

Ororo frowned in confusion and then sighed and said, "After that, I suppose I can't refuse. If you're willing to let me continue my actions as guardian, then I accept you as my Ashikabi. Under one condition."

Naruto shrugged and said, "That is?"

"I have my own reasons for hating Minaka. If I decide to go after him, I want you to support me in that," she said plainly.

Naruto smirked and said, "Support you? I'd kick down the damn door."

Ororo raised an eyebrow and sighed with a smirk and said, "I see. Well then I suppose that settles it doesn't it?"

He nodded and said, "Yup. So…we gonna do this before you explode?"

Ororo blushed and said, "Oh, I suppose we should."

He chuckled and then placed his hands on her shoulders, wincing as more electricity coursed through him and pulled her close, before planting a kiss on her lips. He noticed a sensation like the cool air after a rainfall quickly followed by the tingle in the air that comes with a thunderstorm.

Three different sets of wings emerged from Ororo's back, one made of electricity, another made of water and a last group made of wind. The three sets converged and became a set of wings resembling clouds with lightning coursing around them.

As the two pulled away, Aiko and Kanon witnessed this and Aiko said, "Damn, this is just great. See what happens when we just sit around Kanon!"

Kanon snarled and said, "Shit. Come on Aiko, let's get out of here."

Nodding the twins turned to leave but dual lightning strikes stopped them cold.

Ororo floated behind them and said, "I think it's time the two of you put a stop to these forced wingings." Raising her hands out to her sides, her body was enveloped in a bright light as her eyes turned white and she said, "By the storm of my contract!"

Aiko and Kanon froze and said, "Damn, this is bad."

"My Ashikabi's fears will be washed away!" Dual tornadoes then appeared from her hands and raced towards the duo, before slamming into them resulting in a massive dust cloud and debris flying everywhere.

Naruto stood behind her and twitched an eyebrow, saying, "Damn, that's a lot of power."

"Hmph, tis not as much as I can use though," Tsukiumi said annoyed.

Naruto blinked and then said, "Speaking of which I've never seen your Norito."

Tsukiumi flinched and said, "W-well I may use it in the future but tis not pertinent now."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and merely shrugged as Ororo descended to the rooftop, Rias and Musubi joining them.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well this is a mess."

"It certainly is, Naruto."

Naruto froze and turned around slowly.

Sitting on the broken edge of the roof was Kakashi, his usual bored expression still in place.

Naruto gulped and said, "Uhh, hi Kakashi."

Kakashi looked around and said, "Well at least the rain has stopped."

Naruto sighed and asked, "Need something?"

Kakashi slowly looked down at him and nodded. He then said, "Yes, actually. Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you. As well as the other genin Ashikabi."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Others? How many of us are there?"

Kakashi eye-smiled and said, "Ten."

Naruto blinked in surprise and said, "Ten?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes, although it seems you may have other matters to attend to first."

Naruto nodded and turned to Ororo who raised a hand and said calmly, "No need to worry. Now that my powers are more regulated I'll be fine. I'll just wait at the inn if you like."

Naruto nodded and said with concern, "Just don't overdo it, even if your powers are under control your body still needs to heal."

Ororo smiled and said with a nod, "Thank you for worrying. I'll be careful." Her smile turned to a serious expression as she said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to return to my duties as soon as this is over."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Go ahead."

Ororo nodded and turned, then flew off.

Naruto turned to the others and said, "Why don't you guys get going too?"

Musubi nodded happily and said, "Okay, I'll meet you back at the inn." She then turned and began heading back.

Tsukiumi frowned and said, "Art thou certain that thee will not need my aid?"

Naruto smirked and said, "I'll be fine, I'll summon you if I need you."

Not entirely convinced Tsukiumi nodded and trailed after Musubi.

Rias looked at him and said, "That was a fun little trip. How about we see what else we can do later." She emphasized with a wink before leaving.

Naruto merely sighed and said, "Something tells me this is going to keep getting weirder and weirder."

"Luck of the draw I suppose," Kakashi added lazily. "So, shall we go?" he asked.

Naruto nodded and followed the silver-haired jonin to the Hokage tower.

* * *

Naruto and Kakashi arrived to see Sasuke and Sakura waiting out front.

Naruto waved and said, "Hey you guys."

Sasuke merely nodded and Sakura waved back.

"Alright, let's go and see what this is all about shall we?" Kakashi asked, his students nodding.

* * *

The group entered the Hokage's office and saw Kiba and Shino from Team Eight, two people they didn't recognize and the entirety of Team Ten including Asuma.

Naruto looked around confused and asked, "What's going on?"

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Good. Now that all of you are here we can begin."

"But we're not all here, Hinata and Kurenai sensei aren't here," Kiba said plainly.

Hiruzen nodded and said, "I'm aware Kiba. That's because they aren't Ashikabi."

Kiba raised an eyebrow and then widened his eyes as it hit him and he looked around then said, "Wait a sec, you mean everyone here has Sekirei?"

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, everyone presently in this room beside myself has at least one Sekirei."

"At least one, does that mean some of us have more?" Lee asked.

"Yes, it does," Hiruzen said. "For example, while Neji only has one Sekirei, Kiba has five."

Kiba grinned proudly while Neji narrowed his eyes and Lee gave a thumbs up and shouted, "Good work my fellow genin! I am glad you have been so fortunate!"

Kiba ran his finger along the bottom of his nose and said, "Nah, it's nothin'. They just flock to me."

A perverted giggle got everyone's attention as they turned to see Kakashi stifling a laugh.

Kiba groaned and Hiruzen asked, "Something to add, Kakashi?"

Kakashi waved his hand and said, "No, sir." He then chuckled again.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked quietly, "What's so funny?"

Kakashi whispered, "Kiba's so proud of his five Sekirei, imagine what he'd think if he knew you had nine."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you find that so funny?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye in a partial smile and said, "Isn't a big brother supposed to be happy for his little brother's accomplishments?"

Naruto gave a small smile and nodded.

"Okay! That's it! What's so funny you guys!?" Kiba demanded, tired of their whispering.

Hiruzen sighed heavily, fully aware of what was so funny.

Kakashi eye-smiled slyly and said, "Oh nothing. It's just that you're so proud of having five Sekirei."

Kiba twitched an eyebrow and asked, "Yeah, so? Last time I checked, Naruto only has six, that's one more than me."

Kakashi went full eye-smile and said plainly, "He now has nine."

Kiba's jaw dropped, he then ran over and grabbed Naruto's collar and began to shake him violently, shouting, "NARUTO YOU BASTARD! HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE SO DAMN MANY SEKIREI!?"

Naruto attempted to respond but couldn't due to Kiba's violet shaking.

An action that stopped immediately as a hand collided with the back of Kiba's head, generating a rather sizable welt on it. Kiba turned his head and saw Sakura standing with a rather annoyed expression. He then noticed Sasuke's change in appearance and said, "Why the hell'd you do that? I thought you'd hit him too, and why is mister brooder look like that?"

Sakura huffed and said, "Naruto's my teammate, that's why I did it idiot."

Sasuke grunted and said, "What I wear isn't your business dog breath."

Kiba blinked in utter bewilderment and thought, '_Good grief, are these seriously the same two people?_'

Ino snuck behind Sasuke and then wrapped in her arms and shouted, "Oh it's so good to see you Sasuke! Have you missed me?!"

Sasuke grumbled and turned to her and said, "Come on, get off!"

Ino blinked in curiosity and said, "Aww, you never used to do that before." She then looked at Sakura and said, "You love this don't you, Sasuke asking me to leave like this?"

Sakura turned to her and then asked, "Sorry, you say something? I was thinking about some stuff I need to do later."

Ino raised an eyebrow but then fell back as Sasuke pushed her off.

Sasuke rubbed his temple and said, "At least you don't hang off me like some damn monkey anymore."

Sakura turned slowly and said with her eyes shadowed by her bangs, "What was that?"

Sasuke sweat-dropped and said, "Ah, nothing."

Everyone was shocked at that, they had never expected Sakura to actually become angry with Sasuke, or for Sasuke to back down like that.

Kakashi merely smiled under his mask.

Hiruzen coughed and said, "While I am glad to see you all getting along so well, I believe we need to focus on the matters at hand."

Everyone nodded and returned to a formal line, although Kiba continued his glares in Naruto's direction.

'_Heh, looks like you've got an admirer._'

'_Shut up Menma,_' Naruto said in his head.

Hiruzen looked from one side of the group to the other and said, "Now, what I'm about to tell you is to stay here and go nowhere else, understood?"

Each of them nodded.

"Good. Now, the village now has twelve total shinobi involved with this 'game'. As a result, I have decided that the Sekirei Plan is a danger to the Leaf Village. Therefore, I am considering involvement with the plan an extended B-rank mission. Your goal is to stop the plan. If you determine a way to do so then I will do what I can to support your method so long as it does not present a threat to the village. So you are all now involved with this mission. For the time being all you need to do is participate in the plan, report any possible solutions you have and participate in the battles. As for those battles, consider them miniature versions of the chunin exams. While the battles will commence as normal, when it is determined that a battle has reached its end, you are to leave the area; allowing the opposing Sekirei to remain active," Hiruzen glanced to Naruto who nodded with a smile and continued, "if you do not then the ANBU will intervene. The same goes with battles all over the village, the last thing we need are deaths within our walls."

"You can't be serious! You are denying us the honor of victory, we are effectively to concede even if we win," Neji argued.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and remained silent, for the one he knew would speak up did.

"So you're willing to break apart the Ashikabi and Sekirei that have forged bonds with each other just to fulfill your ego?"

Everyone turned in surprise to see none other than Naruto Uzumaki standing, staring indignantly at Neji Hyuga.

Neji narrowed his eyes and said, "Did I stutter?"

Naruto glared and said, "That's sick. You _have_ a Sekirei of your own! What if she was taken from you?"

Neji scoffed and said, "She won't be. I have fate on my side, therefore I cannot lose. What happens to others is not my concern."

Naruto clenched his fists and said, "You can't be serious? You really believe everyone is so beneath you that their lives don't matter?!"

Neji smirked and said, "That's exactly what I'm saying." Neji's eyes widened when he felt something cold against his neck.

"Fate's on your side huh? Did fate tell you I'd be here?" Sasuke Uchiha argued.

Neji looked behind him at the ravenette in shock and thought, '_W-what? I didn't even sense him?_' He then looked into his eyes and saw the Sharingan. He chuckled and said, "Of course, you have the Sharingan. The eyes that can defy fate, so how would I have known if you aren't bound by fate?"

Sasuke pressed his sword against Neji's neck, causing a single drop of blood to fall, and said, "You really think fate is the ultimate driving force of the world? Sorry, but that's not quite right. I am not _controlled_ by some invisible entity called fate, I choose my own actions. And if you ask me, so does everyone else. Everyone is called to confession over their own actions, everything has a consequence. Saying you are controlled by fate is just a pathetic excuse to shift blame from yourself about your own actions. And if there really is a being called fate that controls us, then I will use my Sharingan…and break its hold."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I couldn't have said it better myself Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked and said, "I imagine you still would anyway."

Naruto laughed and responded, "Yeah probably."

"That's enough Sasuke, withdraw your blade," Hiruzen said.

Sasuke nodded and pulled his chokuto away, spinning it once before sheathing it and returning to Team Seven.

Neji released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He glared at the ravenette and said, "You're wrong."

Sasuke turned and Hiruzen sighed and thought, '_How much longer can this go on?_'

"Fate does exist, I know because I've seen what it does. Only a being like fate could cause the hardships I've had to suffer," Neji said proudly.

Naruto and Sasuke glared in unison and said in the same tone, "Shut up."

Everyone in the room instantly felt the temperature drop several degrees as the stare down continued.

Eventually Neji huffed and said, "I'm through here."

As he approached the door Hiruzen said, "Neji! I hope you will listen to what I said here today. I would hate to have to imprison you for violating my orders."

Neji narrowed his eyes and said, "I understand, Lord Hokage." He then exited the room.

Ino gulped and said, "That guy's a creep." She then turned her attention to Sasuke and said, "But you were so cool Sasuke!"

Sasuke huffed and said, "Just don't latch on to me."

Sighing, Hiruzen said, "I believe we're finished here. Either way, like I said before, your participation in the Sekirei Plan is to remain unaltered save for no longer delivering finishing blows to your opponents. I have added this because scuffles among shinobi are treated the same way, once a victor is decided, should the fight not be interrupted earlier, the ANBU will intervene to prevent bloodshed. That is all."

The shinobi saluted and unanimously said, "Yes sir!"

* * *

As Team Seven left the Hokage's tower Naruto sighed and said, "Maaaannn, that was tense. What is that jerk's problem anyway?"

"You don't know Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke shrugged and said, "I think I know what it is but why don't you fill us in on the details?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Right. Do you remember the inter-village scandal several years ago, when the Cloud attempted to kidnap Hinata of the Hyuga clan?"

They all nodded, but Kakashi took notice of the hardened expression on Naruto's face.

Ignoring it he continued, "Well, the assailant who attempted to kidnap Hinata was killed by one of our shinobi, although it was never discovered who exactly. Since no one from our side was killed in the event the Cloud demanded Hiashi Hyuga's body as recompense. However it was all in service of obtaining the Byakugan, the special visual jutsu held by the Hyuga clan."

"I know it well. My clan and the Hyuga's have some rather deep-seated bad blood due to the rivalry caused by the Sharingan and Byakugan. The Byakugan allows the user to see the target's chakra network in great detail as well as offering them near three hundred sixty degree vision, that about right?" Sasuke said.

Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes. There are a few other specifics about it but that's the general idea and why the Cloud Village was interested in obtaining the Byakugan. Anyway, like I said they demanded the body of Hiashi Hyuga as payment for the death of one of their shinobi at the hands of one of ours."

"But sensei, they were the ones that caused it by attempting to kidnap Hinata," Sakura said.

"Correct, almost. At the time the Leaf and the Cloud were attempting to build an alliance. The Raikage argued that there was no reason to kill the assassin, only to apprehend him," Kakashi said.

"Che," Naruto spat.

Kakashi narrowed his eye curiously but continued, "as a result, and since the Hokage was attempting to build an alliance, Hiashi Hyuga's body was offered as payment. However, it wasn't Hiashi Hyuga that they got. It was Hiashi's twin brother Hizashi, who was a member of the branch family. Do you know why that's important?"

Sakura thought about it intently, coming up with nothing.

Sasuke closed his eyes in thought but eventually huffed, not knowing.

"It's because the branch families of the Hyuga clan have a curse mark that seals their Byakugan if they are killed," Naruto said plainly.

Sakura and Sasuke raised their eyebrows and Kakashi's eye narrowed further. He then said, "Yes that's correct. Hizashi was offered in secret, dressed up as Hiashi, the reverse for Hiashi himself. Hizashi was then executed in front of the clan, Hokage and Raikage and offered to the Cloud. This matters because Neji's father was Hizashi Hyuga."

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, Naruto's narrowed.

Nodding at their recognition, Kakashi said, "This caused Neji to become embittered and sink into himself. This eventually caused him to come to believe that fate was controlling people's lives. That people had no say or agency in their lives. It was the only explanation he could come up with that would prevent him from attacking the main branch of the clan."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura frowned. She then asked, "So he said all that stuff because of that?"

Kakashi nodded.

Naruto, who was several steps ahead of them, said annoyed, "It's no excuse for him to say that. To so casually throw aside other people's lives like that is despicable. Even if he does believe all that fate crap it doesn't explain or excuse being so cruel."

The others nodded as Kakashi's curiosity finally peaked and he said, "Sakura, Sasuke, why don't you two head on back?"

They nodded in confusion.

Kakashi then said coldly, "Naruto, I want you to come with me."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and nodded, following the silver-haired jonin.

Sakura and Sasuke watched them leave confused. Sasuke then tapped Sakura's shoulder and said, "We should get back. We'll need to explain why Naruto's late."

Sakura nodded and followed behind.

* * *

Naruto and Kakashi arrived at the cemetery, specifically at the memorial stone.

Kakashi walked over to the stone, with Naruto behind him, lowered his head and closed his eyes. After several seconds he turned to Naruto and said, "I'd like to ask you a few questions. It might be out of place to ask them now, but I've been curious about a lot of them for a while, and I'd like to think you trust me enough to reveal some of it. I intend to ask either way, but I'll understand if you don't answer."

Naruto nodded and sat down. He then said, "I have a feeling I know at least one of the questions."

"And what might that be?" Kakashi pondered.

Naruto looked up at him and said, "You want to know who my Sensei is."

Kakashi continued to stare at the blonde.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke arrived at the inn, Sakura shouting, "We're home!"

Musubi came running to the door with a smile. She then frowned and asked confused, "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke slipped off his shoes and said as he popped his neck, "He and Kakashi went to talk about a few things. All I know is that they're not likely to be back for a while."

"Aww, and I wanted to spar with Naruto. I still have a lot of energy from earlier," Musubi said with a fist pump.

Sasuke shrugged and said, "Sorry, can't help you. I suppose you could go find him-" he paused as she rushed out the door past him. He then continued with changing posture, "if you want."

Sakura blinked and then said with a sigh, "How does she have so much energy?"

"Don't know, but it's almost frightening if you ask me. At the very least she's not a schemer or anything like that, then we'd _really_ be in trouble," Uzume added as she flopped down on the floor.

Sakura chuckled and said, "Yeah, I suppose you have a point."

* * *

"Yes, I want to know who your original sensei, before me or Iruka, was," Kakashi said seriously.

Naruto sighed and said, "You might want to sit down for this one."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow then nodded and sat in front of the blonde.

"It happened about ten years ago on my fifth birthday," Naruto began.

* * *

_Five year old Naruto wandered through the dimly lit morning streets of the Leaf's red-light district, where he had been given a small dingy apartment by Hiruzen._

_Running through the empty streets, the only time when he could due to the citizens, he made his way towards a small restaurant._

_As he approached the front door, he looked inside._

_Grinning he said, "Cool, no one's home."_

_Rather than attempt to break in, Naruto made his way around back._

* * *

_ Looking around he sought out his target. Upon discovering it he said, "Jackpot!"_

_His target…a large, dirty, old food-filled trash can._

_With his small body he moved over to the can attempted to ascend it. After a series of unsuccessful hops he finally managed to grab ahold of the can's handle. "Yes!" he said proudly as he attempted to pull himself up. Sadly his strength at the time was nothing compared to his modern self. So the only result he achieved was the can tipping and rocking before falling over with a loud crash._

"_Shit!" he cursed as he began collecting what scraps he could._

_The alley becoming filled with light confirmed his worst fear._

_Standing at the back door was the rather plump store own, bat in hand and a scowl on his face._

* * *

_ Naruto slumped to the ground in a mess as the man walked away and said, "Damned demon, that'll teach you."_

_Naruto sat for several seconds before looking around and saying with a heavy and pained sigh, "Gotta go home. They'll be out in force today."_

_Standing on shaky legs and clumsily making his way home, he said, "Why? Why are they always hitting me? What did I ever do to them?"_

_Unbeknownst to him, a shadow watched from the rooftop, following his every move._

* * *

_ Naruto eventually made his way home and closed and locked the door. He then sighed and said, "Well, I should at least be safe now."_

_A loud grumble caused him to frown as he said, "Stupid trash can. Why did it have to go and fall over like that?"_

_Flopping himself on his bed, he curled up and looked up into the sky and thought, '_Well, all I need to do is wait here until morning. Then they'll all go back to normal._' Assuring himself of that fact he drifted off to sleep._

* * *

_ He was awakened sharply by loud banging at his door. He turned slowly as his drowsiness wore off and he registered what was happening._

_The door shook as the angry fists of the people outside slammed into it. They all shouted variations on the same idea._

"_Come out demon!"_

"_Get your ass out here you demon brat!"_

"_Come on trash! We need to throw you out like the rest!"_

_Naruto curled himself up and said, "Why? I thought I was safe in here."_

_The banging continued._

_Naruto spoke again, "They never bothered me before."_

_The wall began to creak as the door was hit further._

"_Why won't they just go away?" Naruto's small voice asked to no one as a tear rolled down his face. His eyes shot wide and his straightened up as the door slammed open, the angry and drunk faces of the people pouring in._

_Naruto acted quickly the only way he knew how. He opened the window and jumped out._

_Hands reached and clawed out the window as he hit the fire escape and ran down the stairs quickly descending them._

"_The demon's on the streets!" a man shouted._

"_Let's go after him!" a drunk chunin added._

_The group clumsily made their way out the door, making sure to leave a path of destruction in their wake._

* * *

_ Naruto ran down the village roads, desperately trying to escape the pursuing mob._

_He turned back and shrieked, the group had grown larger since he started running._

_Desperate, he turned and ran down an alleyway that was nearby._

_His breath hitched as he saw its end, a large stone wall that he had neither the strength nor skill to overcome._

_He turned slowly and fearfully as he saw the pursuing mob of villagers and shinobi, most panting and some smirking. Two chunin stepped forward. They each had jet black hair and matching eyes with a red and white fan on their shoulders._

_One of them grabbed Naruto by the arm and hoisted him up, the boy squirming and shrieking in fear and desperation._

_The hardened bodies of the ninja were unphased by the weak flailing of his limbs._

_The free-handed ninja turned and said with a smirk, "We've got this. You guys can get back to drinking, we'll slay the demon."_

_The mob smirked and nodded, then dispersed._

_The man holding Naruto turned his head towards him and his eyes converted to fully matured Sharingan and he said, "Sleep you little shit."_

_Naruto's eyes widened in fear, but then his body instantly became limp from the forced genjutsu._

_The man not holding Naruto chuckled and said, "Let's make sure to wake him before we kill him. Wouldn't want him to miss it." Just to add further insult to injury the man knocked Naruto in the stomach, the unconscious boy merely coughed up blood rather than food; his stomach having none._

* * *

_ As the two men walked away, a shadowed figure watched from above. Its fist clenched as it vanished in a burst of smoke._

* * *

_ The two men arrived at a small cottage on the western edge of the village, just outside the walls._

_The one strapped the unconscious boy to the table, securing the ropes around his wrists and ankles tightly._

_The other smirked and said, "Nice work. Wake him up, we may have done some damage already but we wouldn't want him to miss the best part."_

_The man that had held Naruto nodded and placed two fingers on Naruto's forehead and said, "Release!"_

_Naruto clenched his eyes before slowly opening them._

_He looked around drowsily as he took in his surroundings. The night's events combined with the numbness in his hands and feet snapped him to and looked around, eventually seeing the two shinobi who had made off with him, smirking proudly._

"_AAAAHHH!" Naruto screamed in fear as he writhed to break free._

_The two men merely began to chuckle as he struggled. One then said, "Oh stop, it's pointless to resist; with how pathetically weak you are you're not going anywhere."_

_The words hitting him immediately he froze, and then slowly turned his attention to the two men, tears streaming down his face as he begged with a weak voice, "Please. Let me go. Why are you doing this?"_

_One of the men punched him in the stomach and said, "Don't play dumb you damned demon. You know exactly why. You killed out friends, you killed _my_ brother. Now we're going to repay you, by killing _you_."_

"_What? I haven't killed anyone, I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said weakly as the man approached with a kunai drawn._

"_That's enough," a calm voice said behind the two._

_The men turned in surprise._

_They saw an ANBU standing in the doorway. He wore a black, high collared, short-sleeved shirt with pale purple gauntlets that strapped on his forearms with black cloth underneath, black pants that were wrapped at the bottom with bandages leading into his sandals. He also had long black hair tied into a ponytail with two bangs on the side of his face, a chokuto with a handle wrapped in fabric on his back and a porcelain mask fashioned after a weasel with a triangular marking on top._

"_Shit, ANBU!" one of the men shouted._

_The ANBU walked in and said calmly, "You will release the boy now, and leave. Otherwise I will kill the both of you."_

_One of the men raised an eyebrow and then said in confusion, "You? What're you doing here and why are you protecting this demon?"_

_The ANBU reached up to his sword and said, "You are mistaken. You are confusing that defenseless child with the fox. I will only say this once more. Leave and you will live."_

_The man glared and shouted as he charged, "Screw you!"_

_The ANBU reacted in a flash, drawing his sword and swinging in a downward arc, disarming his opponent._

_The man reached for another kunai but the ANBU sliced in exactly the opposite angle upwards, slicing open the man's torso and killing him._

_The other man widened his eyes and then glared and shouted, "Traitor! Wait 'til your father hears about this!" He then charged the ANBU._

_A mistake as the ANBU effortlessly spun around the man, reversed his grip on his blade, placed his left hand on the butt of his sword, and stabbed backwards; impaling the man through the abdomen. He withdrew his sword, corrected his grip and flicked off the blood and then sheathed his blade._

_The ANBU then turned his head towards Naruto, who sweat cold as the man approached, a kunai drawn._

"_NO! STAY AWAY!" Naruto shrieked in terror._

_The ANBU raised a finger to his mouth and went, "Shhh, I'm not going to hurt you."_

_Naruto blinked in complete confusion._

_The ANBU looked at him from head to toe and thought with a sigh, '_So, they already battered him a bit. His legs are probably useless until the fox heals them._' He looked Naruto in the eyes and then reached out his kunai, cutting the straps that held him._

_Naruto sat up slowly, still surprised by the kindness he was being shown. Even if it was little more than ambivalence._

_The ANBU looked at Naruto and asked, "Can you walk?"_

_Naruto looked at his legs and then hopped down to the ground, landing shakily and almost falling over, using the table for support._

_The ANBU turned his back to Naruto and knelt down, reaching his hands out behind him._

_Naruto looked at the man unsurely. Then conceded and gave a nod before weakly stumbling over to him and flopping onto his back._

_The ANBU then stood up and secured Naruto's legs with his arms, frowning under his mask at the hitched breath the boy gave from the pain. "Put your arms on my shoulders, you don't want to fall off."_

_Naruto nodded and did so._

* * *

_ The ANBU walked through the forest towards the Leaf Village in the middle of the night for several hours until he returned to the village proper, the sun starting to peak over the horizon._

_The man stopped for several seconds before turning and setting the boy down by a tree. Looking around before nodding he turned to leave but felt a tug on his pants leg. He looked down and saw the half-awake Naruto grabbing his leg._

_Nodding the ANBU sat down next to him. As he sat there he looked at the weak emaciated form of the blonde and thought, '_This won't do. If he remains like this he is certain to die. I suppose there's only one choice._' "Tell me something," he said calmly._

_Naruto's head shot up and he turned towards the ANBU and said, "Y-yes?"_

"_Would you like me to train you in the art of the shinobi?" the man asked curiously._

_Naruto's eyes widened before his face was split by a big grin and he said, "Hell yeah!"_

_The man nodded and said, "So be it. Then in that case, I am your sensei and you are my student."_

_Naruto nodded happily. He then raised an eyebrow and frowned. He then said, "Uhm, mister."_

"_Hm?" he responded._

"_What's your name?" Naruto asked._

_The ANBU sat silently before reaching for his mask and removing it; revealing not the face of a man but of a young Itachi Uchiha. His stoic features shifted into a small smile and he said, "You can call me Itachi sensei."_

_Naruto nodded happily and said, "Right, Itachi sensei!"_

* * *

Kakashi sat on the grass in front of the memorial stone with his exposed eye wide, his posture lent back as he supported himself on shaky arms and his mouth wide in a frozen gasp. He looked at Naruto and asked in disbelief, "A-are you…serious?"

Naruto nodded with a small smile and said, "Yup, every word of it."

Kakashi leaned forward and then sighed. He then released a small chuckle, which turned into several then a hearty laugh that lasted but a few seconds.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

Kakashi released a heavy breath and said, "Nothing really. I just can't think of how to respond. To think that the son of the Leaf's greatest hero was trained and effectively raised by the village's third greatest traitor."

Naruto frowned and asked, "What do you mean by third?"

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Well. The absolute greatest would be Madara Uchiha. After him is Orochimaru of the Sannin and then Itachi Uchiha. To say these events are ironic is an understatement. Well, at the very least…I can see why you're so protective of that secret."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi nodded and said, "You've already got enough against you. If it was made public that the perpetrator of the Uchiha Massacre was your sensei. Well I don't think the Sage of the Six Paths could save you."

Naruto frowned and said, "That's not funny."

Kakashi chuckled weakly and said, "Ah…I guess not. Sorry, this is just all hard to take in. I hope you understand."

Naruto nodded with a smile and said, "Yeah, of course I do. I know how most the village views Itachi sensei. I don't care though, I know what he was really like. Hey Kakashi."

"Yeah?" Kakashi responded.

"Can I ask you something?" Naruto asked worried.

"Of course, I can't guarantee I'll give a satisfactory answer but I'll answer it to the best of my abilities," Kakashi said sympathetically.

Naruto nodded and attempted to speak, but came up with nothing. After frowning and mulling he eventually asked, "Is there anything about the Uchiha massacre that you know that wasn't released to the public?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Naruto nodded and said, "It doesn't add up. I know Itachi sensei. He wouldn't just up and kill his entire clan like that without a good reason. Do you know if there's anything beyond the reports that might answer that question."

Kakashi sighed and said, "Well, all I really know that the others don't are two things. First is specifically what Itachi did to each victim…and that he wasn't alone."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean, not alone?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Simple. There was evidence scattered throughout the Uchiha compound that suggests there was someone besides Itachi in the area. And it's doubtful it was a shadow clone. Unfortunately if what you want is perhaps the reasoning behind the massacre…well I'm not the one you need to ask. There's somebody much more qualified in that field."

Naruto sighed and said, "You know I can't do that. How am I supposed to explain why I want to know? Hi I want to know why your brother slaughtered your whole clan. I can't really just spring that on him."

"True. But it might be possible he'll tell you on his own. If you make him trust you enough," Kakashi said. "But I can't guarantee that either. It's completely possible that even he doesn't know. Either way the only way to know the answer to that is to ask him. Well, there is one possibility," Kakashi said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"It's entirely possible that the Hokage knows the answers to these questions. After all, his ability to monitor the village is matched only by brain type Sekirei," Kakashi said plainly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "There's a catch isn't there?"

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Don't know. It all depends on what that truth is, you'll need to ask the Hokage. Unfortunately I can't tell you anything else."

Naruto nodded and turned, but before he left Kakashi said, "Hold on Naruto."

Naruto glanced back and asked, "There's something else?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "I'm curious about something else. I hope you'll indulge me."

Naruto sighed and said, "I know what it is. If you don't mind I'd like to get back to the inn, my eyes are really bothering me."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? What do you mean?"

Reach up to rub his right eye Naruto said, "Since we got back from the Land of Waves I've had this itch in my eyes. It was rare at first so I thought nothing of it. But then it got worse. Now my eyes get really itchy multiple times a day."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and asked, "And this came right after returning from the Land of Waves?"

Naruto put a hand to his chin in thought and said, "Pretty much. I don't think it's anything big but it's kind of annoying. During my admittedly short fight Yomi my eyes started to itch and that's part of what caused me to get my ass handed to me."

Kakashi nodded and said, "It's probably nothing but I'd suggest getting it checked out. Anyway, if it's bothering you that much I'll ask you about this later. But just know that I will."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, I know." He then proceeded to exit the cemetery.

Kakashi sighed and said, "Well. This just got a lot messier. So one student hates Itachi and the other loves him. No way this will go sideways." Sighing heavily he vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Naruto arrived back at the inn after the sun had gone down.

Just as he expected the blonde and very incensed welcome wagon stood at the front door.

Naruto groaned and asked, "Mind telling me what's wrong?"

Tsukiumi grumbled and said, "We were informed that thee wouldst return home after thy meeting with the Hokage. And yet here thou standest nearly an hour late from that meeting."

Naruto sighed and asked, "Didn't Sasuke and Sakura tell you I would be late?"

"Aye, but I wouldst still prefer an explanation," Tsukiumi said with her hands on her hips.

Naruto scratched his head in annoyance and said, "I had a chat with Kakashi sensei about a few things. Now if you don't mind the past few days have me dead tired and I'd like to get some rest."

Tsukiumi curled back slightly from the sharp tone in his voice. Her surprise turning to anger as she folded her arms and said, "Do as thou pleaseth. After all thou dost have even more concubines, I say, when dost thou plan to cease?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Beats me, they keep coming to me."

Tsukiumi glanced towards him as he sighed and rubbed his left eye. She blinked and asked, "Is something wrong husband?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, I'm just tired. So if you'll excuse me." Leaving the conversation assuredly over Naruto walked past her and to his room.

* * *

Entering, he immediately flopped down and would have been astonished by how swiftly he fell asleep, had he not done so.

* * *

His sleep was seemingly disrupted however as he awoke in front of Kurama's cage.

Sitting up with a groan he said, "Really? I'm trying to sleep."

Kurama huffed and said, **"You go unconscious when you come here, so this won't affect your sleep at all. More to the point, why were you so open with the Copy Ninja? Aren't you the least bit concerned about him knowing so much? Even as strong as you are now you should be aware that should he put this knowledge to his own use-"**

Naruto interrupted him and said, "No, he's not like that. Itachi sensei told me personally that Kakashi is one of the few people I _can_ trust wholly. If Itachi sensei believes Kakashi is that trustworthy then I have no reason to doubt it."

Kurama sighed and laid its head in its hand and said, **"You really admire that weasel don't you? Whatever, I didn't call you here just to talk about whom you do or do not reveal your secrets to. So long as you don't reveal anything about me I couldn't care less."**

Naruto chuckled and said, "Just a big ol' bleeding heart of love aren't you?"

"**Tch, I may not hate you as much as I do other humans but don't think that means I like you fleshbag. Anyway, I wanted to talk about that problem you've been having with your eyes,"** Kurama said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? What could you know about it?"

"**Ever since the events in the Land of Waves, specifically when you gave in to Menma's power and used my tainted chakra, there's been a slight aberration in your chakra flow. I've seen it before with my other Jinchuriki after they used my chakra in the shroud form like that but yours was rather persistent,"** Kurama told him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

Kurama nodded and said, **"An odd…pulse in your chakra. Every so often there's a small pulse of chakra going from you center coil and expanding outwards, completely bypassing you chakra network and acting like an invisible bubble forming from your gut. And when that pulse reaches your eyes they send out secondary pulses, and only your eyes. That's not something I remember from the others however. It seems that whenever these secondary pulses are sent out your eyes start to itch. For some reason, rather than decrease in frequency after the battle the pulses increased in frequency. I don't know what the correlation is or what it means, I just know that it can't be good; wouldn't want you dying on me. It would mean I remain in a deathlike state for nine years until my chakra coalesces again."**

Naruto sighed and said, "You gotta be kidding me. So you're saying it's that 'pulse' that's making my eyes itch?"

Kurama shook its head and said, **"No, I'm just saying they happen at around the same time. It's quite possible there's no relation. I've seen weirder physical abnormalities like this."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought Mito was your first Jinchuriki."

Kurama scoffed and said, **"You really think that wood man was the first person in nearly a thousand years to discern how to seal a tailed beast?"**

Naruto grumbled and said, "Yeah, guess you got a point there. What happened the last time?"

Kurama narrowed its eyes and said lowly, **"If you don't mind, I'd rather keep my past to myself, boy."**

Naruto puffed his lower lip before sighing and saying, "Sure. But is that everything because I'm sure I'll sleep more soundly if I'm not here?"

Kurama nodded and Naruto vanished. As he did, Kurama narrowed its eyes curiously as Menma walked forward, a smirk on his face. Looking at the ravenette clone of Naruto, Kurama bared its teeth and said, **"How did you…?"**

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning with a groan. Cracking his eyes open he realized why he was in so much pain. He had his Sekirei surrounding him. He blinked curiously and then said, "Not sure how, but they all managed to neatly pile on top of me. That's not weird."

Looking over to his clock he saw that it was still early. Sighing he used the Substitution Jutsu to replace himself with a body length pillow, something he had bought a few days ago in order to escape from his pile up. Turning around to look at his group of Sekirei he smiled and said, "Well, at the very least I seem to be doing well in that department…I wonder what Itachi sensei would say about this." Naruto put a hand on his chin in thought. Moments later he turned blue and said, "There's no way he'd do anything but strangle me." Shivering he looked over to his desk and grabbed his new gauntlet, deciding to get some training done.

* * *

In the Forest of Death, Naruto appeared in a flash of light, slightly disoriented and said, "Woah…I'm still not quite used to it." Shaking his head he formed a hand sign and shouted, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Seven hundred shadow clones then appeared in a massive burst of smoke. Dividing them up into the necessary roles of ninjutsu practice, taijutsu practice, kenjutsu training, chakra control, chakra nature training, sealing jutsu training and he now had another group practicing with his gauntlet.

Naruto himself increased his restriction seals and began training to increase his strength further. Feeling his body properly restricted, he decided to start where he left off, doing pushups with one hand.

* * *

The first group of clones were split in half, one half practicing with Naruto's gauntlet he received from Matsu. They were attempting to hit targets with the senbon launchers. Their accuracy was acceptable enough, although it wasn't the pinpoint accuracy needed.

The other half also practiced with the gauntlet, however they were working on flowing chakra into the holes on the knuckles to create the claws. They were mostly firing blasts of chakra instead of creating constant, shaped claws.

* * *

The second group was practicing with sealing jutsu. Half of them were studying the Sekirei crest, examining its structure to understand its make-up; understanding most of it but occasionally finding a seal they needed to look up.

The other half were practicing the Flying Raijin, and unable to prevent disorientation.

* * *

The third group practiced control of Naruto's chakra nature, wind. They did this by utilizing the forest's leaves. At the time they were attempting to float the leaves above their fingertips while at the same time making the leaves spin. Most of the clones did this well enough. A few would launch the leaves into the air and some sliced it instead of spinning it but those errors were rare.

* * *

The fourth group was practicing chakra control. They were standing on the water's surface, attempting to stick stones to their bodies while balancing senbon on the ends of their fingers. Most were successful to an average degree, mostly sticking the stones while standing on the water but the senbon wobbled more than desired and several clones continued to fall out of balance and tumble into the water.

The second half of the group also practiced flowing chakra through objects, starting with Naruto's katana. To their disappointment success was hard to come by as the chakra would acceptably dense near the base but would flow outwards wildly further up, not affecting the blade's sharpness or attributes at all.

The fifth group practiced kenjutsu, also split further into two groups. One group practiced the basic moves and stances Miya provided, the other half practiced the battojutsu, getting their speed up greatly.

* * *

The sixth group practiced taijutsu, attempting to master a special style Naruto had been taught by Itachi, the same fighting style his father used. Since he now had the Flying Raijin he could eventually perfect the style by using it in conjunction with the jutsu, meaning he would need to become proficient in both.

* * *

The seventh and final group practiced ninjutsu, this group was split into multiple smaller groups.

One practiced the Rasengan, attempting to increase its power by adding more chakra, reaching the Giant Rasengan, a Rasengan twice the size of the normal one. Any larger however and the jutsu destabilized and burst.

Another group practiced a variety of wind jutsus, the Great Breakthrough, the Divine Down Current and Air Bullet. They had each gotten all three jutsus down to needing only three hand signs, two for the Divine Down Current.

The third of the small groups practiced the Fireball Jutsus and attempted to make the fireball into a stream of fire.

However, in the second group, one clone stopped and grumbled. It then said, "This is boring, practicing the same jutsus all the time."

It then got an idea and looked at the jutsu guide Naruto had received from Itachi, and saw a jutsu it wanted to try. Grinning it said, "It's worth a shot."

* * *

Naruto had been busy training his muscles for nearly half an hour when one of his clones burst from the foliage.

"Boss! Boss, you gotta come see this!" it shouted frantically.

Naruto stood up straight and decreased his restriction seals and asked, "What're you talking about?"

The clone just waved him on and said, "Just follow me."

Naruto shrugged and followed his clone.

* * *

When he arrived he saw the group of clones that were practicing ninjutsu, standing around one of the other clones shell-shocked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on?"

One of the other clones pointed to the one in question and Naruto saw a puddle of water in front of it.

That clone then nodded and said, "Watch this!" Going through hand signs, he raised two fingers on his right hand and raised his hand next to his mouth and took in a breath and shouted, "Water Style: Raging Waves!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he said in disbelief, "W-what the…?"

* * *

**And boom, how was that? I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, but be sure to tell me what you think with a review. I'd say that's it so goodbye for now.**


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